Getting the Girl
by x-NewGirlInTown-x
Summary: Written for The Oscar Wilde Challenge. Now extended. It's James and Lily's final year at Hogwarts, and it's gonna be just full of surprises. Invisibility cloaks,drinking contests,and one big question...Will James ever get the girl? Please RxR
1. Consistency

**Disclaimer:** Everything but the plot belongs to JK Rowling. Damn.

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"Oi, Evans! EVANS!"

Lily sighed, and reluctantly turned to face the direction of the yells.

"What, Potter?" she said, her voice laced with impatience.

That did nothing to stop James. He sauntered towards her, grinning his favourite cocky, lopsided grin, and Lily knew what was coming. She braced herself as James stopped just in front of her, and asked the question he had been asking since third year, the one he had designed to drive her demented.

"Come on, Evans, don't break my heart. Go out with me?"

"Potter, every single day you ask me that exact same question, and every single day my answer is exactly the same. No. So why even bother? Are you really that dense?"

James pulled a face of exaggerated anguish, and clutched his hand to his heart.

"Ouch, Evans, that one really hurt…who's writing your material these days? And I'm not dense; I just thought my ritual asking would please you. It shows I'm consistent – one of my many good points." He winked.

"Consistency is the last refuge of the unimaginative," Lily retorted. "Quote: Oscar Wilde – I guess he's writing my material, Potter. Besides, even if I wanted to, which I _don't, _I don't have the time to go out with you. I am actually working hard, what with NEWTs in a few months…maybe instead of pestering me, you should give studying a try. For once." Lily smirked, pleased with herself.

"Hard work is simply the refuge of people who have nothing whatever to do."

Lily's eyes widened, shocked. How on earth…?

"Quote: Oscar Wilde." James continued, a smirk of his own falling into place. "I have been known to read the occasional muggle piece of literature, Evans. Especially stuff by someone so like myself – outstandingly gifted, universally popular…you get my drift." He grinned, his hazel eyes glinting wickedly.

Lily blinked a few times, lost for words, before quickly composing herself.

"Oscar Wilde decorated his bedroom with flowers, James, and he ended up in jail for gross indecency. With men. So yes, if that's what you were referring to, I can completely see the similarities." And with that, she turned on her heel and walked quickly away.

The boy she left behind smiled quietly to himself.

James. _James. _

Three years of dedicated asking, and she had finally called him by his first name. Progress. And his name had never sounded sweeter.

He knew now that he could break her, that she would eventually say yes to him, and that it would be because she wanted to.

After all, he had the key.

Consistency.

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**Author's Note: **Ok, so I wrote this for **The Oscar Wilde Challenge** on a whim, but now I actually want to extend it (I have a few ideas rolling about in my head)=] What do you guys think?


	2. Romance Novels and Revelations

**Disclaimer:** Still belongs to JK Rowling. Alas, I only take credit for the plotline.

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BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

Lily yawned, stretching her hand out and shutting off her alarm. In the bed next to her, Alice rolled over, burying her face in the pillow. Lily giggled and swung herself out of bed, and padded over to her best friend's four-poster.

"Come on Ali, time up to get up," she said, gently shaking her.

"Go 'way," Alice mumbled, burrowing down deeper under the covers. Lily paused, lulling her into a false of security, before sighing theatrically.

"Ok, I guess we can stay in bed and miss breakfast…I'm sure Frank won't mind that he kept a seat for you and you just didn't turn up…" Lily laughed as Alice leapt out of bed at once and headed towards the bathroom. Nothing like a boyfriend to get a girl moving in the morning.

However, her laughter soon stopped as Alice said, "Yeah, you're right. Plus, I'm sure you wouldn't want to keep James Potter waiting." She grinned victoriously and slammed the bathroom door.

* * * *

James and his friends sat at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall, stuffing their faces and having a laugh.

"So, Marlene McKinnon's looking good these days, isn't she? I reckon she must of learned how to make Sleekeazy's Hair Potion. What d'you reckon Prongs? Should I give it a go?" Sirius asked, his mouth bursting with pancakes.

"I dunno, Pads, she seems like the kind of girl who likes a man that can feed himself," James sniggered, inclining his head towards Sirius' shirt, which was sticky with maple syrup and littered with crumbs. Sirius opened his mouth to retort, but James was no longer listening.

His eyes flickered to the entrance to the Great Hall, and his hand immediately jumped to his hair.

Sirius spied his opportunity. "Hark! Lily just arriving? She's late this morning, isn't she?" He never took his eyes off James, but stared pointedly at his hand. James noticed, and removed it from his hair, flushing.

"Shut it, Sirius," he said shortly.

"I'm just saying, mate, it's hardly the stuff of great romance novels, is it? She hates you, you stalk her, most people would –"

"Leave him alone, Sirius," Remus interjected quietly, seeing James' discomfort.

"Aww, he knows I'm only mucking about," said Sirius, throwing his arms around James in a bear hug. "Don't you, my little Prongsy, you know it's only a sign of my undying affection for you, an eternal declaration of my love, a –"

"That has got to be one of the most disturbing things I've ever heard, Black. And yet somehow, it doesn't surprise me in the slightest."

"Lily!" James yelped, pulling out of Sirius' grasp and automatically ruffling his hair.

"Potter," she replied coolly, before turning to face Remus. "Remus," she said in a much warmer tone, "I just came over to ask if you would mind covering Frank's prefect rounds tonight? He's planning a surprise for Alice."

"Of course not, Lily," Remus replied, smiling. "He's on the third floor, isn't he? I'll be there."

Lily nodded and smiled gratefully, before turning and walking back towards the other end of the table, where Frank Longbottom and Alice sat hand in hand.

"Evans!" James called, leaping out of chair. "I'll plan a surprise for you, if you go out with me!"

"Dream on, Potter," Lily called back without even turning around.

"Unbelievable," said James, sinking back into his seat again. "I have never, ever had to work so hard to convince a girl to like me, and she _still_ won't give me the time of day."

"Well, mate, as I've said before, I reckon she thinks you're a tad bigheaded – which I _may_ just have to agree with, going by that last comment." Sirius grinned.

"I've got to agree with Padfoot," Remus added. "Instead of constantly asking her out and expecting her to fall at your feet, why don't you just try being nice to Lily? She'd probably like you a lot more if you didn't ambush her with a date request every two minutes."

"It could work Prongs," Peter added quietly.

James stared around at his three friends, studying them. "So you all think that if I'm just_ nice _to her, she might give me a shot?" The boys nodded, and James exclaimed, "Well, why the bloody hell didn't you tell me that before?!?"

"What, and miss out on all the fun? You've got to admit mate, that girl _does_ have some pretty amazing comebacks…"

James lobbed a pancake at Sirius' head, but he ducked quickly, and instead it landed in the cereal of a girl at the Ravenclaw table. The boys couldn't help but laugh then, and they continued to do so as they swung their bags over their shoulders and headed out of the Great Hall to their first class.

But even as they joked, James seriously considered his friends' advice. Maybe consistency wasn't the key after all. It just seemed to make Lily madder. Maybe he would give being nice a try, and see where that got him…


	3. Transfiguration

**Disclaimer:** Unfortunately, nothing but the plot belongs to me. Sigh.

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Lily sat at the back of the transfiguration classroom, doodling on her parchment as she waited for class to start. She _hated_ transfiguration – it wasn't her strongest subject, and she didn't even have Alice in the class to distract her. She only took it at NEWT level because she needed it to become a healer, her dream job. Generally, she sat as far from the front as possible, gazing at the clock and just waiting for the bell to ring.

Of course, she also had another reason to dislike the class – _him. _Unfortunately for Lily, James Potter and his little band of followers also took Transfiguration, and he always insisted on sitting right next to her. And passing her notes. And asking her out. Constantly.

Lily sighed. She actually didn't mind half of "The Marauders", as they called themselves – Peter was very quiet, and she actually _liked_ Remus. But the _other _two – they had heads so large Lily was surprised they could fit through the doors of the Great Hall. Thing was, they did actually have a lot going for them – they were bright, they were popular, they were funny – it was just that they _knew_ it. That's what made her dislike them so much.

And just then, as usual, the Marauders entered the classroom with as much noise and hullabaloo as possible, walked straight to the back, and filled the rest of the row that Lily was in – Remus and Peter on her right, James and Sirius on her left. And, as usual, James immediately leaned over towards her desk, smiling.

"Alright, Evans?" he said.

"Hello, Potter," Lily answered in a bored voice, knowing what was coming, knowing what he was about to say…

But he didn't say anything.

For the first time since…_forever_, James Potter did not ask Lily Evans to go out with him, but simply grinned, sat back in his chair, and immediately immersed himself in a (very animated) discussion with Sirius, about his chances with Marlene McKinnon, and whether or not she really did know how to make a Sleekeazy's Hair Potion.

Lily gawped at him uncomprehendingly for what seemed like an eternity, until Professor McGonagall called the class to order, and Sirius winked at her, startling her out of her befuddled thoughts.

As Lily turned to the front and tried to pay attention to the lesson (Animagi: The Art of Becoming an Animal – something which had made all the Marauders snigger quietly) she found herself becoming more and more uncomfortable.

James Potter was acting like a normal human being, which was, in itself, strange. In fact, when it came right down to it, he had been distinctively cool compared to his usual demeanour around her. She found herself glancing at him repeatedly throughout the lesson, trying to figure out what was going on. However, this only led to more confusion, as every time he saw her looking, he merely smiled.

Lily knew then that there was something going on. James Potter would, under normal circumstances, burst with joy if he had even _imagined _Lily could be looking at him. And yet here she was, having been caught red-handed several times, and…nothing. No proposal. No declaration of love. Not even an 'I-KNEW-IT!' type of smirk. Something was wrong.

And then it clicked.

She, Lily Evans, was about to become a victim of one of the many infamous pranks of the Marauders.

God help her.

From that point on, Lily was tensed, on high alert. She didn't know when or how they would strike, but she would be ready to kill when they did. She tried to be subtle, but failed, checking her hair every five minutes for some sort of colour bewitchment, repeatedly glancing up to check no object floated above her ready to fall… Paranoia had definitely set in.

And then, five minutes before the end, just when Lily's nerves could take it no more, he spoke.

"Emmm…Evans? Are you OK?" James was staring at her, confusion and concern etched across his face.

"What are you planning, Potter?" she hissed, narrowing her eyes.

"Excuse me?" He looked only confused now – Lily had to hand it to him, this boy could act.

"Look, whatever prank you and your little cohorts are planning, I'm on to you, and I swear I'll return it to you ten-fold! So you may as well stop it now, before I hex you all into oblivion!" she whispered furiously.

James couldn't help but laugh quietly then.

"Evans, what _are_ you on about? The Marauders aren't planning to prank you – trust me, we only do that to people we _don't_ like."

Lily stared at him, thinking. Every word he said seemed laced with honesty, and it was difficult to doubt his explanation. And yet, what were the other alternatives?

"You're not planning a prank?"

James shook his head, smiling.

"OK, well then why have you been weird all lesson? You know, not bugging me, or irritating me, and just smiling whenever I look at you?" Lily asked, truly curious.

James sighed. "I wasn't being weird Evans, I was just being…nice."

Out of the corner of her eye, Lily could have sworn she saw Remus nod encouragingly at those words, but when she turned to look at him, he seemed deeply engrossed in a game of exploding snap under his desk with Peter. So Lily put it down to a trick of the light, and turned back to James.

"Nice?" she repeated slowly, wondering if it was possible for James Potter to be such a thing.

"Nice," he repeated firmly, staring straight into her eyes. Lily was speechless. She gazed back at him, trying to think of something to say.

"Excuse me, Mr Potter, Miss Evans, I wonder if you could possibly explain to me what could be so tremendously urgent that you cannot wait until the end of my class to discuss it? Important Heads' business, perhaps?" Professor McGonagall loomed over them, glaring.

Lily floundered, flushing a deep red. She could lie well when she wanted to, but she had been completely caught off guard, and knew her blush was giving her away. She opened her mouth to try and salvage the situation when-

"I'm sorry, Professor, I was just trying to explain to Lily the concept of returning to your human form without a wand – she didn't really understand your explanation, but didn't want to interrupt the rest of the class," James lied smoothly, smiling his most polite smile.

Professor McGonagall's face softened slightly, and she nodded curtly. "Very well Mr Potter, but I would appreciate it if you asked _me_ about all problems in the future Miss Evans, and did not distract other members of this class."

Lily lowered her head, pretending to be ashamed and nodded slowly, just as the bell rang. Professor McGonagall turned and walked back to the front of the class. Lily raised her head, smiling.

"Thanks, Potter."

"No problem," he said, gathering his things.

"No, seriously, that was really nice of you…James." Lily grinned.

"Anytime, Lily," he replied, grinning back. "See you on rounds tonight?"

Lily nodded, and left the class. She was completely confused…James hadn't pestered her for a date _once_ during that lesson, and had actually got her out of trouble. In one little act, he had made it considerably harder for her to hate him. And now, Lily couldn't help but think…

Maybe having James Potter as Head Boy wouldn't be so bad after all.

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**Authors Note: **Ok, so I have a little bit of writers block here, and I'm not sure where to go with it. But you never know, reviews might just speed my brain up (so push the button and review:P). Or if anyone has any suggestions about where I can go with it next I'd be happy to hear them. Thanks guys.


	4. Water Fights and Fiery Tempers

**Disclaimer: **Unfortunately, I can only take credit for the plot. Everything else belongs to JK.

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The castle was in semi-darkness by the time James headed to the second floor corridor, where he was due for rounds with Lily. He walked part of the way with Sirius, perfecting _Operation: Marry Evans; Be Nice. _Basically, that involved Sirius making lots of stupid suggestions, while James ignored him and resisted the urge to ask Lily out as soon as he saw her.

Then they reached Filch's office, where Sirius was expected for double detention.

"Well, bye Pads," said James, his eyes glinting. "Have fun – oh, and do try and be careful polishing the Quidditch cup _without _magic…it's very close to my heart, you know. Hate to hear that it was damaged after being thrown at Filch's incredibly dense skull." James couldn't stop his face from breaking into a grin, and Sirius laughed.

"Wouldn't dream of it, Prongs…I'd be all torn up if anything happened to dear old Argus." Sirius grinned. "Although, you know, the other night I had the strangest dream that he was ravaged by a huge, black dog…"

James pulled a face of mock concern and horror before he cracked up laughing.

He and Sirius were leaning against the wall, still chuckling helplessly, when the office door swung open and Filch appeared. He glared at the boys, and beckoned Sirius inside before turning to James.

"Don't you have somewhere to be, Potter?" He folded his arms and pulled himself up to his full height – still just below James' nose. Behind him, Sirius crossed his eyes and imitated his movements, forcing James to quickly disguise a snort of laughter as a cough. Detention with Sirius was always a laugh (even though they usually ended up in more trouble) but he would much rather spend the night with Lily.

So he held back the sarcastic comment brewing in his head, nodded at Filch, grinned at Sirius, and started off down the corridor. He just had time to hear Sirius exclaim, "Why Argus, it's been too long! And Merlin, I just _love_ what you've done with the place…" before he rounded the corner and the office door swung shut.

* * *

Lily sat on the floor of the second floor corridor, her back against the wall, waiting for her fellow Head to arrive. He was _always_ late for rounds, despite his constant declarations that every second of his life he wasn't with her, Lily, was a second wasted.

To be honest, she was glad that he wasn't on time tonight. Any more weirdness from Potter today and she might just faint. She let her mind wander back to that afternoon's Transfiguration lesson, and Alice's reaction when Lily had told her about it.

"_Wait a minute! WHAT?"_

_Lily laughed, and repeated her story – she told Alice about James strange behaviour, and how he had lied to McGonagall to stop her getting in trouble. The lying didn't confuse her – James Potter had never exactly been a pillar of honesty. But his strange, almost __**human **__behaviour…_

_She could completely understand why her friend was puzzled._

"_He didn't ask you out? At all?"_

"_Nope."_

"_Well, are we sure he's alright? I mean, maybe him and Black tried to pull a prank, and it all went horribly wrong…we should probably send him to Madam Pomfrey," said Alice half-seriously, throwing her bag to the floor and sinking onto Lily's four-poster._

"_Possible concussion," Lily agreed, joining her and giggling. She crossed her legs and leaned against the pillow, thinking._

"_Galleon for your thoughts." Alice sat up and faced her friend._

"_I dunno, Ali…I mean, it was great not being constantly pestered, but I just don't trust him. It's not like he's ever given me any reason too – all he's ever been is an annoying, cocky, arrogant toerag." _

_Alice nodded in agreement. "You've got that right. I may have considered feeding him to an Acromantula on more than one occasion…you never know, I could stumble across one in the forest one day…"_

_Lily laughed at the idea of finding one of those huge spiders anywhere near Hogwarts, but quickly sobered when Alice asked her what she was going to do about James._

"_Well…there's really only one thing I __**can**__ do. He said he was being nice, so as long as he sticks to that, I guess I can too." _

_Alice snorted. "You and James Potter…nice to one another? No way, Lils. You'll be at each other's throats by the end of your rounds tonight. I bet you a Galleon."_

"_You already owe me one of those…for my thoughts," said Lily. Alice dragged herself off Lily's bed and reached for her hairbrush._

"_Well, I'll hang on to it, and save you the trouble of having to wake me up and give it back at the end of the night." Alice turned back to her trunk, putting down her hairbrush when…_

"_AGUAMENTI!"_

_Alice squealed as water drenched her, Lily laughed…and the war began._

The sound of footsteps snapped Lily out of her daydream, and she scrambled to her feet just as James rounded the corner, trademark grin in place, moving in his trademark slow saunter.

"You're late Potter." Lily stated, just like she always did.

"As always, Evans. I told you, consistency is one of my best features." He winked and grinned to show he was joking, and Lily simply rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"Let's go."

She turned and began walking down the corridor in silence, James easily keeping pace, humming to himself. Tunelessly. Making noise for noise's sake. Lily glared at him.

"Potter, do you always have such irritating habits? Or do you only develop them around me?"

James stopped humming, remembering Remus' advice, and smiled. "Sorry, Evans. And you'd have to ask the Marauders whether I irritate them. Actually, better not ask Padfoot…even if I did he'd lie shamelessly to annoy you. But Moony and Wormtail might give you an honest answer – you'll have to let me know." He grinned at her.

Lily laughed grudgingly, still uncomfortable with their unexpected truce. Then she gave a small sigh. "Potter, can I ask, why do you all use those stupid nicknames? What do they even mean? Do they have a meaning?" She gazed at him with genuine curiosity.

James stopped walking then, and put on a very grave face.

"Sorry, Lily, but I'm sworn to secrecy – Marauder's code. I can't reveal what our nicknames mean, the two secret weapons we have which make us the best pranksters in the world, or what cuddly toys we sleep with at night."

Lily laughed again then, a real laugh this time, and when she looked at James again, her gaze was much friendlier.

"OK, James, I get it – need-to-know basis, and I don't need, or _want_, to know," she smirked, and began walking again.

"Oh come on, like you and Alice don't have nicknames for each other? It's like the law among best friends…I bet you're secretly Lilyflower and Aliceband, you just don't want to admit it," James joked, jogging after her.

Lily snorted with laughter, and shook her head disbelievingly. "LILYFLOWER? No way!! Me and Alice have a _normal_ friendship, James – no cuddly toys are involved." She grinned and went on, "Oh, and by the way, if you ever call me Lilyflower again, I'll happily curse you to Hogsmeade and back."

"Completely understood, my lovely Lilyflower," James said, before sprinting round the corner, chuckling.

And, for the second time that night, Lily started a water fight.

* * *

Water covered the second floor corridor, dripping from the wall sconces and lying in puddles on the ground. For the last 20 minutes the silence had been filled with James and Lily's cries of triumph, their yells of despair and most commonly their laughter - hers a tinkling soprano, his a rich tenor.

Now they stood in the middle of the flood, soaked from head to toe, breathless with laughter and adrenaline.

"Jeez, Evans, I always thought you were a good girl…who knew you had it in you," James said, flipping some drips from his hair in Lily's direction.

"Shut up, Potter," she replied good-naturedly, smiling at him as she performed a simple Hot-Air Charm to dry off their robes.

"Thanks. Wish you could do the same thing to get rid of all this water though," he said, looking up and down the corridor amusedly. "Even I don't think I'll be able to talk my way out of this – Hell, I doubt Moony could, and he's the smooth-talker in our group."

Lily grinned. "Relax, James, we'll blame it on Moaning Myrtle…no-one will even suspect a thing, she's always flooding this corridor."

James nodded, impressed with her quick-thinking and laid-back attitude. "Honestly Lily, you always get on at me for being a trouble-maker, and look at you…What if Filch comes along here and breaks a hip?"

"Then hopefully he'll decide to retire," Lily replied, sticking her tongue out. "He's definitely old enough for it." Then she turned serious. "James, I have the sense to avoid getting caught causing trouble. You and the Marauders seem to cause it for the specific _purpose_ of getting caught. Like it makes you bigger or cleverer or something, when really, it just looks like you're too stupid to get away with it. _That's _why you irritate me – we _all_ break the rules _occasionally_, we just don't think it's cool to broadcast it."

James stared at her, astounded. Here was Lily Evans, Head Girl, top student, lecturing him _not_ because he _caused_ trouble, but because he got _caught_. Unbelievable.

And it was in that moment, if it were possible, that he decided he loved her just a little bit more.

"He-llo?" Lily waved her hand up and down in front of him, snapping him out of his revelation. "Quit gawping at me, Potter, we've got work to do. You take that corridor, I'll take this one." This was more like the Lily he knew. James nodded OK and set off down the west end of the corridor, towards the Slytherin dormitories, while Lily took the east.

He strolled along, humming again, just thinking about the night. It seemed like the Marauders advice was working – he hadn't asked Lily out once, and they were getting along much better than they ever had before. Maybe, just maybe, if he stuck to the plan, if he showed her how nice he actually was…

A movement in the shadows behind a suit of armour caught his attention, and he pulled out his wand, ready to send the student back to bed with a friendly rebuke.

"Lumos," he muttered, and light burst from his wand tip, dispelling the shadows and revealing…

"Potter," Snape sneered coldly, stepping out from behind the amour.

"Snape," James replied just as coldly, but attempting to be at least civil. "What are you doing out of bed?"

"If that was any of your business, Potter, you'd already know." Snape smirked. "Since it's not, I suggest you stay out my business and move your extraordinarily large head out of my way."

"Yeah?" said James, struggling to keep his temper and intense hatred under wraps. "Well, _I _suggest that you get back to bed. And since I'm Head Boy, I also suggest that you listen to that suggestion." He couldn't stop a smug smile from sliding into place as he said that, knowing it would get under Snape's skin.

He was right. Snape glared at him and hissed, "Head Boy? You're a joke, Potter, a sad excuse for a human being, let alone a Head."

James flushed with rage, saying sharply, "Get to bed, Snivellus. Don't make me dock some house points, 'cause trust me, you keep talking and I will." He only resisted the urge to jinx Snape or worse by thinking about Lily, and how well they had gotten on that night. He couldn't ruin it by letting Snape get to him. If Lily found out, she would go ballistic, and no way was James going to let _Snivellus _ruin his chance with the girl he had been dreaming about since third year.

But Snape wouldn't stop, sensing he had struck a chord. "I mean, we all know you only accepted the position to get closer to Lily, not that you'll ever have any chance with her. I don't see why you'd want to, being a pureblood…do they even let mudbloods marry-"

But he didn't finish. Suddenly they were back in fifth year again, and Snape had called Lily _that _again, and James couldn't control his temper anymore…

"SCOURGIFY!" he yelled, and Snape spluttered, his mouth full of bubbles. James shoved him up against the cold, stone wall, and pinned him there, glaring. "Listen, _Snivelly_, I've done that before and I'll do it again and again until you learn some manners," James stated in a deadly voice. "Now get out of here, and 50 points from Slytherin – 15 for being out of bed, 15 for what you just said, and 20 just because I _really _don't like you."

He shoved Snape back in the direction of his dormitory, and then wiped his hand on his robes, as though he had been infected. He turned his back on Snape…

And came face-to-face with a livid-looking Lily.

* * *

_Lily was half way down the east corridor, reflecting on the success of her night with James. They had both proved they could be nice to each other, and, even more surprisingly, she had actually had a lot of fun. _

_Lily was just wondering whether it might actually be possible for her to be friends with James Potter and his fellow Marauders, when she heard a yell. She turned and sprinted back towards where James was…and rounded the corner just in time to see him, with Severus pinned to the wall as his mouth foamed with soapy bubbles, and to hear him dock 20 points from Slytherin just for __**disliking**__ him! She continued watching in horror as he shoved her old best friend roughly down the hall, and turned to face her._

"WHERE THE HELL DO YOU GET OFF POTTER?"

"Look Lily, just listen for a second - he deserved it, he said-"

"Oh, _of course _he deserved it, he always does, _doesn't_ he James? Because everyone deserves to be ridiculed at the hands of the Mighty James Potter, Marauder Prince that can do no wrong…"

"Evans, are you gonna let me explain, or-"

"NO!" Lily yelled furiously. "No I am NOT going to let you give some pathetic excuse for an explanation of why you insist on shamelessly bullying anyone you feel is a threat!" James snorted then, unable to control his laughter at the idea of _him_ feeling threatened by _Snape,_ and Lily lost it completely. She started screaming at him, her emerald eyes flashing, hands gesturing wildly.

"YOU, JAMES POTTER, ARE A BLOODY PRAT!! I CAN'T BELIEVE I ACTUALLY BELIEVED ALL YOUR GARBAGE ABOUT BEING NICE – YOU DON'T KNOW THE MEANING OF THE WORD! I BET THIS WAS ALL JUST SOME STUPID PLAN TO GET ME TO GO OUT WITH YOU, WASN'T IT? WELL, TRY AND GET THIS THROUGH YOUR THICK SKULL POTTER! I WILL **NEVER** GO OUT WITH YOU, AND YOU KNOW WHY? BECAUSE. YOU. MAKE. ME. **SICK!"**

And with that, she turned on her heel and stormed off towards the Gryffindor tower, fuming, leaving an angry and hurt James Potter behind her.

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**Author's Note: **Sorry I took so long to post, but I just really wasn't sure about this chapter. To be honest, I'm still not, but I decided to stop keeping you nice people waiting and post it anyway. 'Cause of the doubts, I'd really appreciate any feedback - good or bad - that you want to give me for this chapter. Or any other chapter for that matter. Thanks for reading, and please, _please _keep reviewing. You know you want to :)


	5. Action Plans

**Disclaimer: **Plot = mine. Everything else = JK Rowlings.

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"So there we were, being civil, actually _getting on, _and then he had to go and screw things up!!"

It was the day after what Lily had come to think of as "The Incident – AKA, James Potter is a Monumental Prat", and she was sitting at the back of History of Magic, venting her frustrations with…_him, _while Alice listened sympathetically.

"I told you it wasn't possible, Lils…James Potter is far too much of a twat to be a nice guy. I mean, Snape's not exactly about to win the "Mr Sensitivity" award either, but Merlin, you've more chance of Sirius announcing he's gay than Potter not being an arrogant arse."

Lily smiled weakly at that, then quickly lowered her head, pretending to take notes as Professor Binns floated by, rambling on about the Goblin Rebellions of Somewhere or Other. Lily knew she should be listening – Binns had hinted that this would be a favourite question in her upcoming NEWTs – but, honestly, she was just too distracted by the events of the night before.

She knew Alice was right, and that she shouldn't have expected any better from Potter than what she saw, but…for one brief moment, Lily had totally bought into his act. She had seen the sweeter side of James, the nice side – she had finally seen the smart, funny, laid-back guy that was worshipped by practically everyone in 7th year, and for just a second, she could see why they worshipped him. But then he had shown her what he really was – an arrogant, pig-headed jerk, just like she had always thought.

And she hated herself for being sucked in by him in the first place.

"Lily?" Alice was looking at her, with concern and sympathy in her eyes. "Look, Lils, don't be hard on yourself – James Potter is a master of manipulation and deceit. I bet he could get someone to believe Binns was still _alive_ if he put his mind to it." She put a reassuring hand on Lily's back, and continued firmly, "Just forget about him, alright? James Potter is not worth your time."

Lily smiled, giving her friend a quick hug. "You're right Ali," she said. "That's my new action plan – forget Potter even exists. Good idea."

Alice just grinned, then rolled her eyes at Binns' drone, and decided that if either of them actually wanted to pass, then she had better start taking notes. She lowered her head to her paper, and tried extremely hard to focus.

Which is probably why she didn't hear Lily whispering to herself under her breath two minutes later.

"You got that, Evans? You're just going to forget that he ever existed."

* * *

"So there we were, being civil, actually _getting on, _and then he had to go and screw things up!!"

James Potter was huddled round a cauldron at the back of Potions, recounting the tale of what he had come to know as "My Ruined Night With Lily – AKA Snivellus Deserves to Die" to Sirius and Remus (Peter hadn't been allowed to take NEWT potions).

"You're kidding?" Sirius said, his tone incredulous. "You're telling me, that after everything that's happened over our glorious reign at Hogwarts…Lily actually said she thought _Snivelly _was a threat to _you?_" Sirius couldn't contain it anymore – he bent over the cauldron in hysterics, completely oblivious to the daggers both Slughorn _and _James were sending his way.

Remus simply rolled his eyes, before pinging a dragon heartstring at Sirius while Slughorn had his back turned. He straightened up immediately, still chuckling, and began to retaliate, but Remus stopped him with a "please-this-is-serious-we-have-to-help-James" kind of look, knowing full well that Sirius would do anything for his best friend.

"I think there's a _wider_ issue here, Padfoot," said Remus. He turned to James, and asked, "So Lily wouldn't even give you a chance to explain yourself?"

"No!" James replied, feeling his fury start to build once more. "God, I swear, she is _so_ hypocritical sometimes – she complains about _me _being unfair and arrogant! _She's _arrogant too, and irrational, and judgemental, and-"

"Sorry, I thought we were discussing whether or not Lily let you explain why you wanted to beat Snivellus with a Whomping Willow, not listing the reasons why you liked her," Sirius interjected, smirking good-naturedly in James direction.

James opened his mouth to make a retort, but Sirius continued, "Seriously, Prongs, we both know you're never gonna stay mad at Lily – it would be like asking you to give up Quidditch or something, an _impossibility – _so why aren't we focussing on the _real_ cause of the problem?"

"Snape." Remus stated simply, nodding along with Sirius' speech.

"Yeah, I know that, but seriously – Padfoot, Moony, I can't do anything to him without just making Lily madder, so there's not much point talking about it, is there?" sighed James dejectedly. He slumped over the cauldron, carelessly pouring in half a jar of toads' blood, which immediately turned the Veritaserum they were supposed to be making a lurid green colour.

"Maybe _you_ can't," said Sirius, clapping James on the back, "but _we_ can."

He grinned slyly, and James glanced up. "What _are_ you on about Pads?"

Sirius ignored him, looking to Remus. "You up for it, Moony?"

Remus nodded. "A lesson definitely has to be taught," he agreed.

"Brilliant!" Sirius exclaimed, rubbing his hands together and grinning madly. His excitement was infectious, and James couldn't help but smile too.

"OK, guys, I'm actually quite intrigued to see what you do to the slime ball…just nothing to extreme or public, alright? 'Cause Merlin knows Lily will just blame me for whatever happens, regardless of whether she witnesses it or not."

His tone carried a hint of bitterness towards the end, and Sirius frowned, knowing how much Lily had actually upset his best friend, even though he would never fully admit it. Since he couldn't feel mad at _her_ (Prongs would never allow it), he channelled all his anger into revenge on Snape, saying, "Don't worry Prongs, we won't go too far."

Then, when he was sure James was engrossed in trying to save the ruined Veritaserum, a flask of which was being assessed at the end of the lesson, he muttered quietly to himself, already forming an action plan.

"We'll just make him wish that he'd never existed."

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**Author's Note: **Dun-Dun-DUN! What's going to happen next? Sorry this chapter was so short, I just randomly threw it down out of my head at like midnight last night :P It's basically just a transitory chapter (is that the word I'm looking for?). Well, anyway, it's basically just a little insight into Lily and James' thoughts after what happened, and some plot advancement. I promise, in the next chapter, we get back to the good stuff. Revenge, anyone? ;):P Please review, and keep reading:) Thanks:)


	6. A Drink Best Served With Breakfast

**Disclaimer: **I own zilch. Nada. Nothing. *pauses for thought* Well, except the plot.

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"You did _what?_"

James stared incredulously at Sirius, who was sitting beside him at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall. Peter and Remus weren't there – Peter was in the hospital Wing with flu, and Remus had said he needed to do something – so it was just the two best friends, holding a whispered discussion as the people around them ate and chatted, oblivious to what was about to happen.

James almost envied them. Sirius had just told him the plan of action he had decided to take against Snape, and...wow. James sneaked a nervous glance at the beautiful redhead sitting further down the table, wondering whether she would show mercy and kill him quickly. Somehow, he doubted it. Two more days had passed, and still Lily refused to acknowledge his presence – she ignored him in classes, she ignored him on rounds, she ignored him in the corridors…Basically, no matter what James did, she ignored him.

And now this.

He couldn't believe that even Sirius could be so completely, monumentally _idiotic._ In a way, he blamed himself for encouraging this whole revenge thing in the first place, even if he did think Snivelly deserved everything he got (and _boy_, was he going to get it). He should have known that it would get him into trouble with Lily, even if it wasn't _technically_ him carrying put the revenge. But man, this was _really_ going to get him into trouble. She would blame him completely, even without proof. And she wasn't the only one. Apparently, Sirius had decided to blame him as well.

"Merlin, Prongs, calm down," he whispered. "You're the one that said I could do this in the first place, remember?"

"I think you'll find that I gave you permission to have a little fun, Pads, not to go and do _this!" _James hissed. "Besides, I distinctly remember saying 'nothing too public' – what d'you call this, a few spectators?" He glanced around the crowded room to make his point, his eyes once more resting uneasily on his fellow Head, who was deep in discussion with Frank and Alice. He was definitely going down for this.

Sirius, however, seemed completely at ease. "Yeah, well, you know me, mate – you give me a unicorn hair, I try and take the whole tail. It's why you love me, right?" He grinned at James, who had to admit that he had a point. This was exactly the sort of thing that he, James, would have done if the situation had been reversed. It was one of the reasons he and Sirius had instantly hit it off – they had the same wicked sense of humour.

"Plus," Sirius continued, "we _had_ to do it here. I could _not_ miss an opportunity like this – it was a gift from God himself, mate. Don't question it." James gave a short laugh then – it was true: the plan _was_ a stroke of genius, even for a fellow Marauder, and deep down he was looking forward to seeing it unfold, to watching Snivelly squirm…

Didn't mean he couldn't be nervous though.

Sirius sensed his friend's uneasiness, and tried once more to calm him. "Just _relax, _Prongs…how can she possibly blame you? You've been here the whole time, and when you think about it, I'm actually doing Snivelly a favour – trust me, it's going to a _huge_ improvement," he said, his eyes glinting. Suddenly, he jumped, as if someone had touched him, and his gaze flew towards the Slytherin table.

"Besides, it's too late to go back now…here we go."

* * *

"Is he still looking?" Lily asked Alice quietly.

"Nope," her friend replied, glimpsing down at the other end of the table. "I told you, it's just quick glances, like he doesn't want you to catch him. Actually, if I didn't know him better, I'd say he was worried about something."

This heightened Lily's curiosity, and she had to use all her will power to stop herself for looking down to where James Potter sat, knowing eye-contact would only give him ammunition: a reason to believe she had forgiven him for the way he had treated Snape.

_As if._

So instead she made it look like she was deeply engrossed in a conversation with Alice, and Frank, who was sitting next to her best friend, holding her hand and just generally enjoying her company. Lily felt a pang of longing, wishing there was someone that felt that way about her, before pushing it aside. The only person to ever look at her like that was Potter, and the way she felt about him…

She'd rather die alone.

"Uh-oh," came Alice's voice, and Lily jerked her head up quickly.

"What is it?" she said, before following Alice's gaze, and narrowing her eyes when she realised what she was seeing.

"I think we know why James was looking so nervous before, Lily," muttered Frank. "It looks like the Marauders are pulling a prank, and judging by _where_ they're looking, I'd say Snape's about to become their victim."

Frank was right – Sirius and James were indeed both staring intently at Snape, who was sitting in his usual place at the Slytherin table, drinking deeply from his goblet of pumpkin juice. Lily scanned him and the area around him, but found nothing unusual: no floating books, no lack of clothing…

And then it happened.

At first it seemed that he was just in a hurry to get to class – he jumped up and started running for the exit, stumbling over his robes as he went. But, before he was even halfway to the door, Snape stopped. His body was shaking, and his face was contorted in agony.

It was no longer just the two Marauders and Lily watching – more and more people looked up and watched in a mix of horror and fascination as Snape's skin started to bubble, his hair receding fast back into his head…

Polyjuice potion.

Lily recognised the signs immediately – she was a top student in Potions, and the NEWT classes had been shown a batch by Slughorn only yesterday. What had he said again?

_The Polyjuice Potion is a very complicated concoction, one that we wouldn't dream of brewing until NEWT level. It also has simply marvellous effects - it allows the drinker to completely assume the form of someone else – why, even the person's own mother couldn't tell the difference._

That was what he had said, but somehow, Lily failed to see what was "simply marvellous" about the horror unfolding in front of her.

Snape was on the floor now, writhing in pain as he sprouted new hair, this stuff blonde and curly; his eyes turned a startling shade of aquamarine, fringed by thick lashes; his skinny waist appeared even skinnier as his chest and hipbones expanded, tearing the seam of his robes…

Then, just a few short moments later, it was done.

Snape got shakily to his feet, staring down in horror as he realised he had become an exact replica of…

Marlene McKinnon screamed, then fled the room in floods of tears. James raised his eyebrows questioningly at his friend, and Sirius winked at him, muttering in a scandalized tone, "Now Prongs, I beg you not to ask me how I got that hair…"

And then the laughter started.

People roared hysterically, pounding their hands on the tables as they chortled at the boy (well, girl for now) who stood rooted to the spot between the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff tables. A few of the Gryffindors actually had tears running down their cheeks as they clutched at their sides, gasping for breath.

The only person that wasn't laughing was Lily. Alice and Frank tried to hold it together for their friend's sake, but every few seconds a stray giggle or a stifled chuckle would escape one and infect the other – back and forth, back and forth, until they too had dissolved into hysteria.

Lily barely noticed. Her bright green eyes were locked with the now blue ones of her old friend, and she wanted to cry as she felt all his pain and humiliation through his eyes. Sure, Severus had made a mistake in 5th year, but Lily truly felt like he was sorry, and knew that he would give anything to take back what he had said. She longed to fix this, to save him, but as the laughter continued to ring all around, she knew it was too late. Snape ripped his eyes away from hers and Lily watched helplessly as he fled the Great Hall, taunts, jibes and mockery following him all the way.

It was only after he had left that Lily's sympathy gave way to anger, as she sat there seething, knowing exactly who the culprit was. He had to pay for this. He had to.

"HOW COULD YOU DO THAT TO HIM, POTTER? WHAT, DOES IT MAKE YOU FEEL GOOD, HURTING SOMEONE LIKE THAT?" Lily wasn't exactly sure when she had stood up, but she felt triumphant seeing the grin fall off James face as he (and almost everyone else in the hall) stopped laughing to listen to her. "MAYBE WE SHOULD SEE HOW YOU LIKE IT!" she continued yelling, as she plunged her hand into to her robes, drawing her wand and getting ready to hit him with the worst curse she knew.

"Miss Evans, I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to put that away and return to your seat. Now, please."

Albus Dumbledore spoke softly and firmly from his position at the centre of the teacher's table, where he was now standing, gazing at Lily with his bright blue eyes.

Lily had completely forgotten about the teachers in the Hall, and she blinked at the sound of the Headmaster's voice, startled. Her face flushed as she pocketed her wand and dropped back onto the bench, catching Alice's worried gaze quickly before staring at her lap. Her rage still boiled away, now tinged with disappointment as she realised that she couldn't act on it.

"Thank you," said Dumbledore, as though she had merely passed him a quill, rather than threatened to curse a student in front of several hundred witnesses. "Now," he went on calmly, "I will ask you all to simply go about your day as though nothing unusual happened here this morning. I pray that you have enough respect for me, and this school, to do as I ask. I will also warn you that there will be very serious repercussions for any student that is discovered to have had a part in this." His eyes flickered towards the Gryffindor table for a moment, before he said, "You may go."

There was a huge scraping back of benches, as people rose to leave, deciding they would have enough respect not to mention what had happened within earshot of Dumbledore or any other teachers, but knowing that there was no way they were ever going to forget or stop talking about this moment.

* * *

James rose to leave like everyone else, but suddenly the Headmaster appeared at his side, and said simply, "Mr Potter, I think you should join me in my office for a moment." Sirius opened his mouth to say something, but James very slightly shook his head – Lily had already laid the blame with him, and he refused to let his friend be expelled for this too.

"Of course, Sir," he replied, and followed Dumbledore towards the door leading out of the Great Hall. On the way, many people caught his eye, mouthing things like "Good luck" and "That was awesome!" but, though he passed her and glanced in her direction, there was one person that refused to meet his gaze: Lily Evans.

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**Author's Note: **Well, this chapter took a while longer than I expected, but I hope the wait was worth it. The first draft I wrote of this had a different revenge in it, but it turned into a riot - people were throwing chairs, cursing, and being hexed left, right and centre (no joke) - and it was only after I'd finished that i thought, "where the HECK are all the teachers?!" So I tried to make this version more believeable, and I hope that came across. As always, please review and let me know what you think.

As for the next chapter, I have it all planned out - it came to me in the shower, which, yes, is a little weird. But hey, if that's where the plot-bunnies strike, then that's where they strike. Anyway, back on topic, I have it planned so it shouldn't take to long to write, but I have exams just now (ughh!) so it may be a while before I update. Don't forget about me though! I'm always grateful to the people that read, and most especially to the people that review. Not that I'm dropping hints or anything... coughreviewcough :)


	7. A Few Little Heart To Hearts

**Disclaimer: **You know the drill. Everything's J.K Rowling's, I'm just filling in the blanks.

**Author's Note: **Ok, so usually I put these at the end of my stories, but I just feel like before anything else, I owe you guys an explanation. I'm sorry it's been soooooo long since I last updated, take a look at the equation:

Major writer's block + Not a lot of free time (stupid school) + Other issues in my life right now = Not a lot of updates :(

Anyway, I promise I'm not abandoning this story, and I really hope you guys haven't abandoned me! I guess we'll find out at the end of this chapter when everyone that reads it reviews (hint hint.) I'm sorry again, and I promise never, EVER to leave it so long again before an update. I've tried to make it up to you guys with a super long chapter, and hopefully I'll update again tomorrow :) Love to all you guys that are still here - you have the patience of saints. Enjoy! :)

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James sat in front of the Headmaster, fidgeting nervously as he pondered his fate. It was obvious to him that he was going to be punished – Lily had publicly accused him, and nobody but the Marauders had any reason to doubt her story. She was a model student. James, on the other hand, had spent many a night in detention with Sirius after pulling some prank or other, and had often used that opportunity to wreak more havoc. The professors knew what he was capable of, and even though this was probably the one prank he _hadn't_ been involved in (well, _technically_, at least) he doubted they would believe him.

A ghost of a smile passed across his lips as he considered the irony of the situation, then quickly faded as his thoughts drifted to his parents. He doubted they would see the humour behind it.

Across from him, Dumbledore seemed completely at ease, shuffling papers as he hummed quietly to himself. He didn't appear to be angry, but James wasn't soothed. He continued to shift uncomfortably in his seat as he waited for the storm to break. Why couldn't they just expel him already? The waiting was only making him more nervous…

Almost as if he had read his mind, Dumbledore's humming stopped, and he raised his head, meeting James eyes. Immediately the boy sat up a little straighter, simultaneously trying to flatten his hair with his hand. Despite his catalogue of misdemeanours at the school, James actually had a great deal of respect for the Headmaster, and a wave of shame and guilt washed over him under Dumbledore's piercing gaze. He knew that he never should have let this revenge thing go ahead, but it was too late now. He hadn't stopped it, and he was about to be hit hard with the consequences.

"Well, Mr Potter, I assume you know why I asked you to accompany me here."

It wasn't said as a question, but Dumbledore continued to watch James, as though waiting for some confirmation of his wrong-doing. James gulped, then nodded his head.

"Yes sir," he replied.

"Good. You are aware then, of the strong allegations made against you by Miss Evans concerning what happened to Mr Snape?"

"Yes sir," James said again, his anxiety building.

"Are you also aware of the very serious action that would have to be taken against someone involved in such a prank?" Dumbledore never once raised his voice, but his tone was serious, and the shame in James heart became too much. He dropped his head as he answered in a whisper.

"Yes, sir."

Dumbledore's gaze never wavered, and James could feel it burning into his scalp as the Headmaster began to speak again. He squeezed his eyes shut tight, knowing that this was it.

"Very well Mr Potter. I shall have to ask that you look at me please." James slowly lifted his hazel eyes again until they were level with Dumbledore's blue ones, and braced himself.

"Tell me, then, if I am also right in assuming that there is absolutely no truth to Miss Evans' claims."

He blinked, startled. Of all the things he could have pictured Dumbledore saying, that was not on the list. Shouldn't they be kicking him out about now? His surprise was so great that it actually took him a few seconds to realize that he had to answer. Even when he did, James could only nod, although he was careful to meet Dumbledore's eyes as he did so. At least, in a purely technical sense, he had answered truthfully.

"I thought so." Dumbledore stated briskly. "I take it you have no clue who the real culprit is?" His eyes glinted as he said that, and James was sure there was a hint of a smile on his face.

"No, sir," he responded quickly, determined to protect his friends no matter what. After all, he had started this, and knew that if the situation were reversed, they would do the same for him. Still, when he met the old man's eyes, James couldn't help but note the twinkle in them, and he suspected that Dumbledore already had some clue of the Marauders involvement.

That suspicion was confirmed by the next words out of Dumbledore's mouth.

"Hmmmm…" he said, looking thoughtful. "It was a very extreme thing for someone to do though, don't you agree? What, James, do you suppose might provoke one to do that to a fellow student?" His tone kept a light, curious air, but there was an undercurrent to his question that James immediately picked up on.

Dumbledore knew he and the Marauders had been involved, and now he wanted to know why.

_Keep it hypothetical James_, he thought to himself. Sure, Dumbledore didn't seem mad now, but no way was he risking Sirius' place at Hogwarts for anything. They were practically brothers. So James pulled a thoughtful look onto his face as he replied.

"Oh, I don't know Sir…I suppose, if Sniv- I mean, if Snape had called someone a name, a really AWFUL name…" He made eye-contact with his teacher, trying to convey the word without saying it, and then continued, "and if someone else had tried to defend the person he had called it, and just ended up getting themselves into trouble with the Head Girl…Well, I suppose that a friend of that person might not be too happy about it. He might decide to get revenge…maybe, Sir."

He worked hard to look like he was merely hypothesizing, worried he had said too much. Dumbledore was studying him intently over his half-moon spectacles, a knowing look in his eye. James tensed, forcing his body not to squirm, and met the Headmaster's gaze. He looked thoughtful.

"Do you suppose, James, that the best friend might have been encouraged in some way to carry out the revenge?"

James' eyes widened, but he stared directly at Dumbledore as he replied, "Yes Sir, I don't think there's any way he would have carried it out without encouragement from someone."

Now, no matter what happened to him, most of the heat was off Sirius. James went on then, his voice tinged with regret. "But I'm sure, Sir, that whoever encouraged him would seriously regret it now. They'd know what they did was wrong, and I don't think they'd ever do anything like that again."

Just then, as James' gaze once more met his Headmasters', he felt a strange feeling wash over him. It was similar to dizziness, and seemed to be pressing into all the corners of his mind. Memories of Snape's harsh words against Lily, her fury and refusal to let him explain, Sirius' plotting in Potions, his own agreement but also his warning to keep it low key, and his feelings of nerves and regret from the Great Hall that morning all flashed rapidly through his head in an uncontrollable swirl.

Dumbledore, seemingly unable to see any outward signs of the turmoil going on inside James' head, looked down again, and once more began shuffling papers on his desk.

Then, just as suddenly as the feeling had come, it stopped. James' head cleared, and he blinked several times, puzzled by what had just taken place. However, before he could explain to Dumbledore what had happened, the old man looked up and nodded, smiling briefly at him before continuing their conversation.

"I would hope not. Still, it's only a theory – it's far more likely that Mr Snape's pumpkin juice simply combusted into Polyjuice Potion…it's been known to happen."

His eyes continued to twinkle as he spoke, and James allowed himself a quick grin as Dumbledore went on. "And no permanent harm has been done, so I suppose, with such a lack of concrete evidence, the matter will have to be dropped." He smiled again, reassuringly.

"You may go, Mr Potter – to the Common Room, I'm told - the 7th year has been given a free period. Professor Slughorn had to go and administer a calming draught to Miss McKinnon."

James cleared his throat uncomfortably, and then stood to leave, hardly believing his luck. He hadn't been expelled – hell, he hadn't even been punished! He walked towards the door, punching the air with glee inside his head, but just before he could leave the room, Dumbledore called him back.

"And James?" He turned back around to face the Headmaster, and saw his eyes had lost their glint, serious once again. "While a distinct lack of evidence," he emphasised these words, his eyes piercing, "means that no action can be taken this time, I must ask you to tell those you may…happen across in the Common Room that if anything like this ever happens again, the consequences will be unimaginable."

His voice was grave, and James knew that he was deadly serious. This one time he and Sirius had had a lucky escape and an understanding ear – they would not be extended that courtesy again.

"Absolutely Sir, I'll tell him -them!" he covered quickly, his face reddening. "I'll tell them Sir," he repeated, and then slipped out the door, heaving a sigh of relief only once it was firmly shut behind him.

* * *

The Gryffindor common room was in utter pandemonium.

It wasn't often that the 7th years got such exciting free periods, and they were certainly making the most of it. Everywhere you looked there were groups of people gathered: gossiping, laughing at the Slytherins' misfortune, praising James Potter to the hilt. Popular was something he had always been, but now? People were acting as though he was God.

Of course, Lily was victim to many glances and whispers too, but she barely noticed them from the corner by the fire, where she sat with Alice, deeply immersed in a heated discussion.

"I'm just saying, Lil," Alice whispered to her friend. "Did you really have to accuse him like that in front of all the teachers and everything? You don't even have any proof James Potter was involved."

"Don't be ridiculous Alice," Lily snapped back, her face flaming red once more. "We both know this had Potter written all over it – are you saying you think he deserves to _get away_ with it?" Alice opened her mouth to protest, but Lily ploughed on, completely oblivious to her friend's attempts to calm her. "Well, I don't! And I personally hope he comes through that door just to pick up his trunk and leave!"

"You better hope that doesn't happen Evans," came a calm voice, and Lily looked up to see Sirius Black sauntering towards her, seeming just as at ease as always.

Lily narrowed her eyes. "Or what, Black?"

Sirius pulled a thoughtful face, as though having an internal debate with himself, before replying, "Or I'll become your own personal Peeves for the rest of the year?"

Lily glared at him coldly. "Oh, I'm terrified," she said dryly.

"You should be. I'm warning you now Evans, if my best friend gets expelled because of your stupidity, you will _seriously _regret it." His voice took on an edge that hadn't been there before, and he folded his arms across his chest.

Lily's temper bubbled over, and she rose sharply to her feet.

"MY STUPIDITY?? Don't you _dare_ threaten me, Sirius Black! I know that you think Potter's big and clever, but he isn't in the slightest, and I'm glad I spoke out about his little stunt – it's about time someone put that arrogant arse in his place!"

"Yeah? Well maybe if you had taken the time to get any facts at all before you opened your BIG MOUTH," Sirius retorted, feeling his own temper flare, "you'd have realised that this wasn't James' little stunt at all!"

Both boy and girl were on their feet now, and they stood facing each other, each wearing a look of utter fury.

Lily was the first to break the silence.

"Well, Black, I might have known you'd be involved – what'd you do to get McKinnon's hair, snog the face off her? I always knew that girl had no taste." Sirius' face darkened dangerously, but Lily was so angry she just couldn't help herself.

"Since you seem so attached to Potter, why don't you go tell the Headmaster about your contribution to Severus' utter humiliation? I'm sure he'd be more than happy to expel the both of you." She smirked.

Sirius smirked right back. "What, you mean you'd give up the opportunity to tell on me and suck even further up the professor's-"

"Do not tempt me, Sirius Black," hissed Lily, taking a step closer, bringing the two practically nose to nose.

Sirius opened his mouth to retort, but just then a soft voice cut in, and Remus moved from position behind Sirius, where he had been standing unnoticed for several minutes.

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that Lily."

Lily stopped then, looking past Sirius to the sandy-haired boy behind him.

"Remus," she said, with mild surprise in her eyes, "surely as a prefect you realise some justice has to be seen here."

"Of course, Lily. I just can't allow you to blame Sirius for stealing the hair or replacing Snape's pumpkin juice when it wasn't him."

"What?" Lily stared at him, confusion clear on her face.

"Sirius didn't-"

"Shut up, Remus," Sirius cut in suddenly. "I can handle this."

"Padfoot, I can't let you shoulder the blame for this," he responded, as though reading his friend's mind. "Prefect badge or not, she has to know the truth."

"That's if she shuts up long enough to let you tell it," Sirius murmured under his breath, but he stepped back, and Remus turned back to Lily.

"As I was saying," he continued, "I can't let you blame Sirius for stealing the hair or switching the juice, because it wasn't him. It was me."

Lily's mouth fell open, and she blinked several times in disbelief.

"What?"

"It was me," he repeated calmly. "Marlene sits in front of me in Muggle Studies – it was quite easy to pluck a hair from her robe without her noticing. And as for Snape's pumpkin juice…" He stole a quick glance at Sirius then "…We Marauders know all the elves in the kitchen – I simply switched it right before breakfast."

Seeing Lily was still speechless, he went on, "I know it perhaps wasn't the wisest thing to do, but I'm sorry – a lesson really needed to be taught."

Lily flinched at these words, and she finally seemed to find her voice again. "A lesson?" she said, in the coldest voice she had ever used to address Remus. "A _lesson_? Remus, you really think _anyone_ deserves what you did to Severus? Regardless of how much you hate him, I can't believe you could be so cruel." She made no attempt to disguise the shock and disgust in her voice, but Remus was undeterred.

"You misunderstand, Lily. Snape wasn't the person I was referring to – I was trying to teach a lesson to you."

"Me?" she exclaimed, her voice incredulous. "How exactly was that supposed to teach _me_ a lesson?"

"To show you that the only arrogant arse around here isn't James Potter, Evans – it's you."Sirius had settled into an armchair by the fire, and looked up into Lily's eyes from where he reclined.

"Sirius." Remus threw him a sharp look, and said to Lily softly, "I just wanted to show you how you never give him a fair shot."

Lily was dumbfounded, and sunk back into a chair herself, her anger melting into disbelief. They practically ruined a boy's life, and they thought _she_ was unfair?

"I'm just saying that sometimes your clear dislike for James clouds your judgement Lily. You act before you know the facts. If today doesn't prove that to you, then look at the other night on rounds, when James-"

"You mean the night he attacked Severus and pinned him against a wall?" Lily asked cuttingly.

"Well, maybe if you'd given him a chance to explain," Sirius interjected just as cuttingly, "you'd know that the only reason he attacked Snivelly in the first place was to defend you!"

Lily blinked. "Is that true?" She looked to Remus for an answer, and he nodded.

"Yes. Snape baited James, but he was holding back, until Snape involved you." He cleared his throat, and Lily waited for him to continue. "He said- He called you-"

"He called you a Mudblood!" Sirius spat, throwing the word from his mouth as if it were coated in venom and tasted foul. Lily flinched, and Alice, who had been watching silently up until this point, let out a gasp of fury.

"So yeah, he's a cocky prat sometimes," Sirius went on, "and maybe threatening Snivelly wasn't the best thing to do, although personally I think it was completely deserved. But we both know how much James hates people using that word." He lowered his voice, and fixed his blue eyes piercingly on Lily's green ones. "Especially when it comes to you."

Lily knew. Suddenly her head was filled with images of the lake, Snape's outburst, James' fury, and her own words…her _harsh_ words…

_You're as bad as he is!_

"I'm an idiot."

She spoke very softly, more to herself than anyone else, but Sirius heard her, and his face softened, almost as if her admission had vanished his frustration and annoyance with her. He cleared his throat awkwardly, and then spoke.

"Well Evans, you generally seem like an rational girl, attitude towards Prongs aside. So all I'm asking is, would it really kill you to cut him some slack? Because for some _strange_ reason…" He leaned forward.

"He's crazy about you."

* * *

James practically flew down the stairs from Dumbledore's office, he was feeling so high. No expulsion, no detention…now all he had to do was find a way to slip into a letter to his mother that the Headmaster had taken _his_ word over Lily Evans' without explaining the situation and everything would be perfect…

James rounded the corner still lost in thought, and was only snapped out of his musings when he slammed straight into something solid, and warm, and human-shaped.

"Oh, sorry," he started, looking up, "I was just- Oh."

_Speak of the witch._

Lily felt her face flush, and she floundered, searching for the words she had been rehearsing the entire way from the Gryffindor common room. Eventually, after several minutes of her and James avoiding each other's gaze and shuffling their feet, she decided to just dive right in.

"I spoke to Sirius and Remus. They told me what you did. Well, what they did, _and _what you did, and what you _didn't_ do…" She trailed off, biting her lip, lowering her eyes to the floor again.

"Listen Lily, if you're going to Dumbledore, they only did it because-"

"Don't be an idiot, James," she snapped, and for a second he saw the Lily Evans he knew and loved so well. But she dropped her gaze once more, and muttered, "I came to tell you I'm sorry."

James blinked – _this was new_. "Excuse me?" he questioned, savouring the moment while he had it.

Lily sighed deeply, and muttered, "I knew you were going to make me say this more than once."

But when she finally raised her emerald eyes to James' hazel ones, they were completely sincere, and she said clearly, "I'm sorry."

"Fo-or?" James dragged the word out, his eyes taking on the mischievous glint that they so often had around Lily.

Lily raised her eyebrows at him, but answered the question. "For always jumping to the worst conclusions about you…" her face reddened again, "…even without any proof. Don't get me wrong, you're still an idiot for attacking Snape in such a cave-man manner, but…I also really appreciate it. So I'm sorry, James, and thank you."

James shrugged in an offhand manner smiling widely, and said, "Oh, it's fine - now just repeat after me. I, arrogant, pig-headed, albeit stunning redhead Lily Evans…"

"Don't push your luck, Potter," she said, narrowing her eyes but smiling, relieved that he had been so quick to forgive. She knew she wouldn't have extended him the same courtesy if the situation had been reversed.

James chuckled then, and a genuine grin spread right across his face. "Apology accepted, Evans." A brief moment of understanding and connection flashed between them, but James was back in joker mood before Lily had time to figure it out.

"I guess I owe Padfoot and Moony after all – better hurry back to the Common Room and apologise for blaming the whole thing on them back with Dumbledore…"

He strode off down the corridor, and Lily laughed then too, before turning and starting to follow him.

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**Author's Note:** So what do you guys think? Worth the wait? Please read and PLEASE review, and I'm sorry again! :)


	8. Hogsmeade Happenings

**Disclaimer:** I am but a poor imitation of the faboulous J.K Rowling. Really, it all belongs to her.

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James and the Marauders sat around a table in The Three Broomsticks, foaming mugs of Butterbeer in front of them. It was the first Hogsmeade weekend they'd had in a while – they'd been reduced when Voldemort started gaining power as a safety precaution – and they were definitely making the most of it.

"I'm telling you!" Sirius exclaimed loudly, gesturing with his mug and slopping the hot liquid everywhere. He glanced down briefly, and then carried on unabashed. "Just w_atch_ them, for Merlin's sake – if McGonagall and Dumbledore aren't getting it on, I'll eat Peter – and that's saying something!"

Peter flushed, twittering nervously, and James joined in with Sirius' raucous laughter, adding, "Whatever you say, Padfoot – Don't worry, there's plenty more fish in the sea!"

He grinned as Sirius continued to argue his point with Remus, who was shaking his head disbelievingly, and his grin only widened when the door to the Pub opened and he saw who walked in.

* * *

Lily spotted them as soon as she entered – the Marauders were all gathered round one of the tables to her left, smiling and talking in loud, animated voices.

She wondered if she could slip out again before they noticed her, but it was impossible – James had already spotted her, and was motioning for her to join them, a friendly grin on his face.

Lily gave a quick smile, and raised her hand in greeting, but shook her head and headed towards the bar. She swung her long red hair over her shoulder like a curtain, blocking the Marauders from view.

_You're an idiot_, she mentally berated herself once more.

Ever since the whole 'apology outside Dumbledore's office' incident nearly a month before, James and all the Marauders (she suspected under his instruction – Sirius _definitely _wasn't her biggest fan) had been perfectly friendly towards her, and she had returned the favour. It seemed a sort of truce had been called between the two, with all past run-ins forgiven and forgotten.

But Lily couldn't forget. She recalled a conversation with Alice that she'd had after apologising to James, once they were safely tucked away in their dormitory.

"_Alice…was I really that harsh to him?" She was sitting on her four-poster, Alice facing her, the velvet curtains drawn around them._

"_We all were, Lily – I mean, no matter what, James Potter was definitely annoying – asking you out all the time, pranking people left, right and centre, strutting-"_

"_Just answer the question, Al." Lily looked straight into her friend's eyes, searching._

_Alice sighed. "Truthfully?" she asked. Lily nodded. "Yes," she admitted, "you were a little harsh. But like I said Lil, I don't blame you-"_

And that was that. If her best friend had said she was harsh, it must be true.

So Lily felt bad. Especially since James didn't seem to hold any grudges whatsoever. And so there was no way she could go over there and sit with them, not when she had been such a cow in the past.

Still, as she weaved her way over to the bar, she couldn't help wishing that Alice and Frank hadn't gone of to Madam Puddifoot's, but had come here instead, so that she wouldn't be alone.

She needn't have worried – James Potter, it appeared, wasn't letting her go that easily.

A warm, firm grip caught hold of her wrist, and Lily spun round, finding herself face-to-face with James' chest.

"James," she said casually, tilting her head up to see his.

"Lily," he replied, smiling at her. "Here all alone? I definitely advise against it – never know what kind of rowdy teenage boys might try and seduce you. Come and sit with us," he offered, grinning.

Lily grinned back, knowing fine well that they were the rowdiest teenage boys in this place – or any place for that matter – but shook her head again. The Marauders probably hated her, not that she totally blamed them.

"No thanks," she said lightly. "I really just want to be by myself for a while." She smiled convincingly, but James raised his eyebrows, seeing right through her.

"They don't bite, you know." Then he threw her something he knew she couldn't resist – a challenge.

"Come on, Evans," he said, using the nickname he knew infuriated her. "Don't be a scaredy cat – what are you drinking?"

Lily ground her teeth together. _How did he do that? _

"Butterbeer," she said finally, giving in. James moved closer to the counter, but Sirius suddenly shot past him, saying, "Allow me."

"Wow," she commented, amused. "Who knew Sirius was such a gentleman?"

James threw his head back and laughed loudly, before smiling down at the petite redhead beside him.

"He's not," he grinned. "He just fancies the pants off Rosmerta. Watch."

"Rosie, my love!"

Lily looked across just in time to see Sirius seize Madam Rosmerta's hand and kiss it firmly, before gazing deep into her eyes.

"Rosie, I am but a poor student, and yet your captivating presence keeps drawing me back to the bar and into the drunkenness that only an endless supply of Butterbeer can provide."

Lily couldn't help but snigger, and James wolf whistled, motioned for Lily to get a seat and then went to join his best friend at the counter.

As she turned and headed towards the table from which Remus was smiling at her, she heard him say in his deep, manly voice, "Excuse him, Rosie, he's always copying my speeches. I am but a poor student…"

"Are they always like that?" she said laughingly, gesturing towards the bar where Rosmerta was now filling a mug with rich, foaming liquid, and laughing helplessly.

Remus nodded as Sirius said, "Of course we are, and she loves it," putting a steaming mug in front of Lily. He then sat down next to Remus, allowing James to slide onto the bench next to Lily.

"I mean, who could resist this double act?" he went, gesturing between himself and James. "Me, the sexy, sultry, vastly superior being, Sirius Black, and Prongs, my loving and loyal sidekick-"

"In your dreams, mate," James cut in, reaching across the table and punching Sirius good-naturedly on the arm.

"Sorry to disappoint you, Prongs, but I've got far more interesting things to dream about than my male best friend," Sirius quipped, winking. Everyone around the table laughed, and Lily, who had just taken a mouthful of Butterbeer, spluttered and choked.

"Are you ok?" James asked concerned, while Sirius said grinning, "Yes! The plan to kill her is working!"

James threw him a warning look, but a recovered Lily came back with, "Really? So's mine – the plan was to kill off all your brain cells, but you seem to have done most of the work for me." She smiled sweetly, before casually taking another sip of her drink.

"At least I had brain cells to kill." He grinned again, leaning back in his chair, but before Lily could retort, the door opened once more, and this time Aconite Deletum, a 7th year Slytherin, strolled in.

"I'm sorry," he drawled, walking over to where they sat, "but surely I didn't just hear Black saying he has brain cells? What a sad excuse for a joke."

"Get lost, Deletum," Sirius threw back, not seeming the least bit annoyed. But Lily saw all the Marauders tense, and she did so too, automatically, glaring up at Aconite with the rest.

"I think you're the one that's lost. Hanging out with riff-raff like this…" his eyes lingered on Lily, and James shifted slightly "…when you once belonged to the noble house of Black? Blood traitor." The last two words came out as a hiss, and the Marauders were on their feet in an instant, reaching for their wands when…

"Oh, _traitor_, Aconite? That's a big word, isn't it? Listen, you just keep working that hard with your mummy and I'm sure you'll be able to spell your name in no time, OK? Don't you give up."

James was the first to laugh, grinning down at Lily where she remained sitting, smiling sweetly up at the Slytherin, although with a hard glint in her eyes. One by one the Marauders joined in.

Aconite stared hard at Lily for a moment, before deciding against it after glancing at James' tall frame, and sloped off.

"Nicely done, Lily," admired Remus, sinking back into his chair.

"Wow, that was amazing," said Peter, nodding his agreement.

James simple grinned, glancing across to see Sirius' response.

"You know what, Evans?" he said, his face blank. Lily looked up and met his eyes.

"I might not have to kill you after all," he said, breaking into a smile.

"Oh, well, _thanks_," said Lily, her voice dripping with sarcasm, but she smiled back at him genuinely. "I'll drink to that."

She raised her mug, Sirius banged his against it, and the laughter continued. Maybe Lily could spend the afternoon with the Marauders, after all.

* * *

Three hours later, Lily felt better than she had in a _long_ time. The day had ended in Sirius challenging her to a drinking contest, and, ignoring James' warnings, she had accepted.

The result? Well, she wasn't technically _drunk_ – Butterbeer wasn't strong enough for that – but she definitely had a good buzz going. The walk back to the castle had been one of the most amusing experiences of James life, with Lily being louder than both him and Sirius combined.

"Who knew the castle was so…_beautiful_?" she exclaimed loudly as they waited for the portrait hole to swing open.

All the Marauders chuckled, and the fat lady said half-amusedly, half-reprovingly, "You'd better keep an eye on that one," before she swung forward to let them in.

"Well, Evans, it's been a pleasure," said Sirius once they were inside. "Even if you do have a voice like a foghorn when you're drunk."

"Shut up Sirius!" snapped Lily, sticking her tongue out childishly. "I am _not_ drunk."

"Whatever you say," he grinned, saluting her before disappearing up the boys' staircase with Remus and Peter in tow.

James lingered in front of Lily. "Are you sure you'll be ok getting up the stairs?" he asked, only half-joking.

"Of course I will!!" she exclaimed loudly and indignantly, placing her hands on her hips. "I. Am. Not. Drunk."

"Okay, okay," he muttered, turning towards his own staircase. Lily's voice stopped him.

"James?"

"Yeah?" He turned back around to see her walking towards him.

"I just…thanks for being so nice to me. About everything." She had stopped just in front of him now, and James swallowed involuntarily. "And thanks for today."

And before he knew what was happening, Lily leaned forward and…hugged him.

She wrapped her arms around his waist, and James froze briefly, unable to process that Lily Evans was actually hugging him. But a few seconds passed, and he put his arms around her too, murmuring, "you're welcome, Lily," into her hair.

He was just starting to relax and draw her closer when…Dumbledore's voice resonated, magically magnified, around the room.

"All students are to return to their Common Rooms immediately, and wait there for their Head of House. It is my regretful duty to inform you that two of our pupils have fallen victim to a Death Eater attack in Hogsmeade."

Suddenly, the common room was very crowded. Students in dressing gowns and slippers poured down the stairs leading from the Dormitories, and a hum of voices filled the air.

The rest of the Marauders had just joined Lily and James when the portrait hole burst open and Marlene McKinnon burst in.

"Lily!" she cried, spotting the red hair and pushing her way through the crowd. She arrived at the little group, breathless, but with bright and urgent eyes.

"Lily," she said again, slower this time. "I'm really sorry, but I've just passed McGonagall. The people that were attacked…its Alice and Frank."

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**Author's Note: **Ohhhhhh! Little bit of a cliffhanger there for you guys, hope you like it. As always, please read and review, and let me know what you think. I'll update ASAP, but reviews might make me move faster... :P


	9. By The Lake

**Disclaimer:** You guys know the drill. It's all J.K's genius, I'm just playing the puppet master :)

**Author's Note: **OK, so I know I usually put these at the end, but I just felt that I owe all you readers a huge apology, and it couldn't wait! I'm so sorry it's taken me soooo long to update, it really would serve me right if everyone had abandoned this story by now and moved on to something better (although I really hope you haven't). I'm going to give it to you straight - I love writing this (really I do, and the fact that people enjoy it and leave me feedback means the world to me) but to be honest, my imagination isn't the most reliable thing in the world. All my inspiration comes in spurts, so even though I do want to try and write to a schedule, I'm afraid most of my writing just wouldn't be that good. So from now on, I won't make promises I can't keep, but I will ask that you keep reading, and I really hope this chapter makes up for the HUGE gap since the last update. Happy reading! :)

* * *

Lily sat at the edge of the lake, her hands clasped firmly around her knees, staring at the water. Her cheeks were tear-stained and every so often she gave a weak sniff, trying to pull herself together. The lake usually calmed her - she loved to sit there and think, watching the Giant Squid swim lazily back and forth - but it just didn't seem to be working this time. Lily knew what the problem was. The Lake was too quiet - she didn't usually sit here alone.

Right on cue, there came a cracking of a twig from behind her, and Lily shut her eyes, a faint smile touching her lips.

"You know, you can come and sit down if you want James. I don't mind."

In spite of what she had said, James moved forward slowly, his concerned eyes never leaving her face as he sank onto the grass next to her.

"Hey," he said, his voice soft and full of sympathy. "You've been out here for ages. You ok?"

Lily hugged herself tighter, but met his gaze with another small smile.

"Yes, I'm fine. I just needed to be alone, you know? Have some time to think."

"Oh. Right. Well, I can go if you..." James was already rising to his feet, running a hand anxiously through his already-tousled hair, but the gentle pressure of Lily's fingers on his other hand stopped his movements.

"No, really. Like I said, I don't mind. Stay." Her words were genuine, and she turned her head back to the endless stretch of water in front of her. Then, seeing James still frozen with hesitancy in her peripheral vision, she gave her first real smile in days, and without moving her eyes she quipped, "I know you speak English, Potter. I said sit down."

James chuckled, relieved that she was still able to wind him up at least, and dropped back down beside her.

"Yes, Sir." He saluted, and they both grinned. For a brief second, a warm flash of utter contentment shot through James' body. This was pretty close to perfection for him: just sitting with Lily, having a laugh, her not hating him. He realised now that it wasn't just about going out with the most stunningly beautiful girl in his year any more (although he still wanted to, and she still was.) He also genuinely valued her friendship, and was thrilled to have her want even just his company, if not him.

_Shame the circumstances weren't better._

James shook himself out of his thoughts, and looked at Lily as she continued to gaze out onto the water, his eyes serious once more.

"So how are they?"

Lily had gotten back from St. Mungo's a few hours ago, and James braced himself for the onslaught of emotion he was sure was about to come. After all, she had been crying when he showed up.

Which is why he was completely shocked when she fully turned her body to face him, looking happier and more optimistic than he had seen her in the fortnight since the attack.

"They're really on the road to recovery!" she beamed, the joy she felt at that piece of information clear in her voice and smile. "Alice was actually walking about today, and the Healers say they should both be out of there in another week. How great is that?"

Her excitement was infectious, and James grinned widely back at her, nodding his agreement.

"Great!" he said, but he was unable to stop the confusion he felt from plastering itself across his face. Lily noticed it, and raised her eyebrows questioningly.

"But...? Come on, James, spit it out."

"Well...it's just not what I was expecting, that's all." He saw her face begin to mirror the confusion he had shown, and dropped his gaze, feeling all the more puzzled himself. "I mean, you were crying when I showed up - I just thought that...that maybe they had..." He trailed off, unsure.

To his surprise, Lily laughed again.

"Sometimes you are such a _guy_, James Potter." She rolled her eyes as she slapped him playfully on the arm. "One hint of emotion, and you assume somebody's died. Honestly."

She shook her head in exasperation, and muttered something that sounded a lot like "typical" to James. He couldn't help but react, and shoved her gently back.

"Hey, I am _not_ a guy," he claimed obstinately, then grimaced, thinking of the field day Sirius would have with that one if he were around. He quickly rephrased, saying, "what I _mean_ is that it's not just an automatic assumption, Evans, but why the bloody hell else would you be _crying_?"

Lily sighed exasperatedly, and then launched into her explanation.

"_Because_, James," she said as though she were talking to a two-year-old, "her physical state is not the only issue here!" James continued to stare at her, enlightenment not yet striking, and Lily pulled her eyes away.

"Just because she'll be back soon doesn't mean I don't miss her, James." She wrapped her arms around her knees again, and her voice came lower now, more raw. "And just because she's getting better does _not _make her okay."

James, finally seeing the emotion he had anticipated, slid his arm gently around her shoulder. She leaned into him, her head on his shoulder, and swallowed loudly. He sneaked a glance at her face, and saw her emerald eyes sparkling with tears, but also a furious fire that she used to (he realised the past tense with a jolt of pleasure) reserve for him.

"I swear to God, if I ever meet the low-life, vile, inhumane, evil little..." She trailed off visibly fuming, and James, hating to see her so upset, pulled his arm back and tried to draw a smile from her.

"Trust me Lily, if you ever came across the death-eater scum that did this, I know first-hand that they would face a fate worse than death." He nudged her playfully to show he was joking, but she didn't smile. "Hey," he persisted, determined to cheer her up. "I understand Lily. I'll even help you get ready for the day you finally get your chance to kill those guys if you want. Feel free to curse Sirius any time for practice." He spoke in a voice full of mock seriousness, and Lily had to smile grudgingly.

James, pleased that his plan was working, went on with his act. "No, really, he's such a helpful boy, that Padfoot. And we both know he'd do anything for you, his lovely Lilykins, the apple of his eye, queen of his heart, sole reason for his existen-"

Lily snorted out loud then, in indignation as much as amusement. Sure, she and Sirius had warmed to each other over the past few weeks, but the idea of him seeing Lily as "the sole reason for his existence" was definitely laughable. James chuckled too, and Lily, touched by his effort to cheer her up, quipped, "Yeah right, Potter! Sure you aren't confusing him with someone else?"

James grinned briefly, and then he was back in character. "Hmmm..maybe, Evans. He does have this friend I could be thinking of - dazzling funny, amazingly sweet. Dashingly handsome, of course. Maybe you've seen him around?"

"Hmmmm..." Lily paused, raising her eyes to the sky like she was deep in thought. "Nope, I can't think of anyone that fits that description," she said, all innocence. There was a long pause, and she smiled to herself, revelling in what she thought was victory.

"Can't you?"

Her eyes flew back to James'.

His joking attitude was gone, his face burning with intent. His hazel eyes were penetrating, as though he were searching for the answer to his question in her soul. Lily's mind blanked, and then filled with a million thoughts at once as she tried to find something, _anything_, to say. _James liked her? OK, so she knew that. Well, she __**had**__ known it. In the past. But they were just friends now, right? And if that was true, why was a warm feeling spreading slowly through her body as she saw the look in James' eyes?_

While she continued to scramble for some form of coherency, James leaned closer into her and seized his chance.

"Look Lily, I really value your friendship, and I don't want to do anything to ruin that with what I'm about to say, but I just can't avoid it anymore." His face was inches from hers, his eyes deeper and darker than she had ever seen them, and Lily couldn't speak, couldn't think, couldn't breathe. She could only listen as he carried on bravely, his eyes locked on hers.

"Lily Evans, I'm sorry, but I really, really..."

"There you are, Prongs!" Lily was surprised by the pang of disappointment she felt as Sirius' voice floated towards them from the direction of the Castle, and it was only then that the realization struck her: _she liked James Potter. Liked _him, liked him. She wanted to gather her thoughts and say something, but there was no time.

She only realised how dark it had gotten when Sirius strode out of the black, his face bearing the same casual relaxation as always. He stopped in front of the two, who were still facing each other, and eyed the situation specutively for a minute before he spoke.

"Sorry about this Evans," he started, nodding in her direction, "and I do hate to break up the party..." He glanced slyly between the two of them again when he said that, flipping his longish hair out of his eyes as though to get a better view. "But sadly, it has to be said. Get your cloak, Prongsy - you've pulled." He winked at his best friend, who had finally dragged his eyes away from Lily long enough to look up in disbelief.

"OK, Padfoot, I have absolutely no idea what you've got planned this time, and to be honest, it might be better off that way. Plus, I'm kind of _busy_ right now," he finished, throwing a meaningful look at the dark-haired boy in front of him. Lily, having finally regained some state of consciousness, noticed this, and couldn't help but internally cringe at the jolt of happiness she felt. _What had gotten into her?_

"So I see." Sirius smirked at James. "But," he went on, "by the time you're finished rambling, the moon will be _fully_ out. And we have stuff to do." He threw James a meaningful glance back, and saw his friend's eyes widened briefly, like he had just remembered something important. Lily observed this scene with interest, and her intuition flashed - _they were up to something_. But before she could find out anything more, Sirius' face had returned to it's usual nochalance, and he finished up smoothly, saying, "You've already missed the Common Room curfew Dumbledore set after the attack - not the best look for Head Boy and Girl."

"You're right." James spoke quickly as he stood up. "We'd better go." He glanced back to Lily to see if she was moving too, but she remained firmly on the floor.

"Actually, Sirius, James was just about to tell me something." She locked her eyes with his again, and waited expectantly. "You're sorry," she prompted, determined to do this, "but you really, really..."

James stared at her, the expression on her beautiful face unreadable. _Surely she knew what he had been going to say? Why was she giving him a chance to finish, instead of running for the hills like she usually did? Surely she didn't...?_

Sirius cleared his throat loudly, pulling James back into the present. Both Padfoot and Lily were staring, waiting for him to act. James looked into her green eyes, then at Sirius' blue ones, before glancing up at the sky. It was even darker now, and the moon was already half out. He closed his eyes and sighed, before turning back to the redhead, who sat, still waiting for him to finish his sentence.

"I'm sorry Lily." He couldn't keep the bitter disappointment out of his voice as he spoke, tried to communicate it to her through his eyes. "But right now, I really really have to go."

And before she had time to respond, he sighed once more, glanced at her apologetically, and then turned with Sirius and was swallowed up by the night.

* * *

**A/N:** Like I said, I hope I'm forgiven! Reviews are love :)


	10. The Marauders' Secret Weapons

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing but the plot bunnies.

* * *

Lily hurried back towards the Castle, the moon full now, the darkness all around her. After James had disappeared, she had sat by the lake for at least 15 minutes, just thinking things through. Part of her had fumed at James _bloody _Potter, just leaving the way he had, just when they had been right on the brink of something. But then she thought about the apology in his eyes, the disappointment in his voice before he walked away, and she just couldn't stay mad.

_After all_, she reminded herself, _she'd been rejecting him for years. Why would he confess his feelings to her when he didn't know that she wasn't going to do that ever again? For Merlin's sake, she hadn't even known it herself until it was too late. Damn that Sirius Black!_

But as she reached the doors to the Entrance Hall, Lily's anger at the cocky teenage heart-throb faded, and the only annoyance she was left with was for herself. Dumbledore had been very strict about all students being in their Common Rooms by 9pm since the attack, even the prefects, and Lily was already an hour late. While at least she didn't have to worry about the doors being locked - Professors had taken over the patrols, and they often did a sweep of the grounds, too - she knew it wasn't exactly going to be easy to get all the way up to the Gryffindor Tower undectected, and she hated to think of the trouble she would be in if she was caught.

Mentally kicking herself for not leaving as soon as James had, Lily took a deep breath and seized the door handle, praying that some miracle would have occured to leave her route clear. She crossed her fingers and, unable to delay it any longer, ducked inside. _So far, so good._

Amazingly, luck seemed to be on her side as she made her way through the Castle, her eyes glinting in the candlelight as they darted about, looking for any sign of teachers, or worse, Filch. The last thing she needed was a month's worth of detention just as Alice got back - they hadn't spent any proper time together since before that fateful Hogsmeade trip, and Lily planned to be attached to her friend's hip for a long, long time.

The odds of that happening seemed to be stacked in her favour though, and Lily was just starting to relax as she walked along the third floor corridor, assuming she had caught the gap in between the Professors' rounds, when she tripped over something solid on the ground. Lily stumbled, catching heself against the wall as her wand went flying. She tried to catch it, but it was too late, and she winced as the 10 1/4" stick of willow clattered noisily along the corridor, before coming to rest several feet away.

Her luck ran out.

Almost immediately, Lily heard the sound of high-heels moving briskly along the joining corridor, no doubt McGonagle or someone similar coming to see who had caused the disruption.

Lily ran for her wand, her long hair flying as she desperately tried to escape the punishment she knew was unavoidable if she was caught here, but it was too late. By the time she'd retrieved the evidence, the footsteps were just seconds away, and Lily had nowhere to run, no place to hide. She froze, her eyes wide with panic, her mind churning to find an excuse, an alibi, anything...when suddenly a floating, bodiless _hand_ appeared in front of her.

Lily opened her mouth to scream, but before she could even make a sound the hand seized her, and pulled her forward, through what felt like a gossamar curtain. Before she knew what had happened, she was pressed gently against the wall of the corridor, a soft finger on her lips, and was once again staring into the eyes of none other than James Potter. Sirius was, of course, beside him, grinning at Lily, and seeming quite at ease with the whole situation.

No sooner than Lily had disappeared did McGonagle herself round the corner, wand lit and raised, eyes narrowed. She looked swiftly around, and then started moving towards them, practically skimming the hidden trio with her cloak. Lily couldn't stop the quiet gasp that escaped her, and James pressed his finger slightly more firmly against her mouth as the Professor traced her footsteps past them once more. His hazel eyes never left her green ones, and Lily saw the silent warning in them - _don't make a sound._

_Like you needed to tell her twice._

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, McGonagle rounded the corner again, and Lily heaved a sigh of relief. James left his finger pressed lightly against her mouth for just a second, relishing the feeling of her warm breath before he withdrew it and stepped back slightly, all the while ensuring that Lily remained invisible. He smiled down at her almost sheepishly, and Lily waited just a few moments to check the coast was definitely clear before her curiousity won out, and the questions started.

"James? I- What are you do- How did you- Why aren't you both in the Common- Where did you _get _this?" Lily decided the last question was the most intriguing one, and waited for his reply while she stroked the fabric of the Invisibilty Cloak. She had obviously heard about these, but they were _so_ rare. She never dreamed any Hogwarts pupil would have one, not even the Marauders. _Amazing._

"Hey Evans," Sirius butted in, grinning at her and completely ignoring her question. "Nice trip? You know, you really should watch where you're walking when you're sneaking about the Castle at night - you might have stubbed my toe, you know." His eyes glinted mischieviously, but there was a hint of annoyance in his voice, like he was frustrated he had caught her attention, and Lily glared at him, knowing he had been the one to nearly get her caught. He opened his mouth to speak again, but James cut him off.

"Keep your voice down, Sirius, McGonagle's probably still in the next corridor. Just keep an eye out, OK?" Sirius sighed theatrically and then nodded his head. To Lily's surprise however, he didn't turn his head towards the point where the two corridors met, but simply rummaged about in his robes for something that was hidden from Lily's view, and then appeared to study it intently. Lily rolled her eyes, waiting for James' rebuke to come, but he just nodded, satisfied, before turning back to her.

"I inherited it," he explained in a low voice, gesturing to the shiny silver fabric. "It's been passed down my family for generations, a sort of father-to-son thing. My dad gave it to me just before I started here."

"It's...wow." She looked at him, impressed. "This is cool." James grinned, a tiny hint of smugness playing across his features as he thanked her. "So...thanks for saving me from McGonagle's wrath," she went on, smiling up at him. Then her eyes narrowed slightly, and she asked, "What are you doing sneaking out of the Common Room under this, again?"

"Ehhhh..." James looked quickly at Sirius (who had put away the whatever he had been looking at and was now listening intently) and then away again, and Lily remembered the weird non-verbal discussion they'd had by the lake. _She was right - something was definitely going on. _She raised an eyebrow at Sirius' overly innocent expression, and then turned her eyes pointedly back to James. He looked down at her from his 6ft frame, and knew she'd never believe a lie. Still, he knew she would be far from pleased with the truth as well, so he avoided eye-contact as he admitted reluctantly, "We're going out."

As he expected, her reaction was not good.

"_What?" _she hissed in a furious whisper. "James, you _can't_! It's against Dumbledore's rules!"

"Lily, we have to." He stayed calm, trying to reason with her, before raising an eyebrow. "Besides," he went on, a hint of amusement colouring his tone, "it's not exactly like you're a strict follower of those rules is it?" His eyes dropped to his watch and then raised them back to hers pointedly. Lily frowned, unable to disagree with him on that point. James could see that she still wasn't happy though, and tried to get her to relax. "Trust me Evans, we're big boys. We'll be fine."

His words had the exact opposite effect of what he had intended. Lily's eyes flashed disbelievingly, and she was off again.

"Fine? _Fine?_ James, have you forgotten what happened to Frank and Alice in the past 30 minutes? Don't you think _they_ thought they'd be _fine_? The scum that did that is still out there, don't you understand that? Or is that the point? If this is all some big game to you-"

"It's not a game and I haven't forgotten Lily." James eyes were serious, his words reassuring her that he cared about what had happened, about how she felt. But then once again, like they had at the lake, his eyes pierced hers, as though he were trying to communicate something crucial. His hand rested gently on her shoulder, as he spoke again. "But we _do_ have to go."

Lily could see that her annoyance wasn't working, so she decided to try a different tack. "James," she whispered slowly, "I've already risked losing two friends, I don't want to risk that with you too." James' mouth curved up softly at the corners when she said that, and Lily felt a light blush rise to her cheeks as she realised how..._dependent_ on him she'd sounded. Still, it was true, so she met his gaze firmly while she spoke.

"Oh well, Evans, I'm touched that you seem so concerned for at least one person's welfare here," said Sirius sarcastically, and James rolled his eyes as his friend went on. _Count on Sirius to ruin a moment. _"But d'you mind if you two continue this little tete-a-tete some other time? This cloak wasn't exactly built to fit four under it."

Lily opened her mouth to retort that he must have hit his head as a child since there were only _three_ people under the cloak, but suddenly James was talking very quickly, pulling her attention back to him.

"_Anyway_, Lily, we really should go, OK? I promise we'll be fine. Sirius, where's Filch?"

Once again Sirius consulted his robe pocket, before saying, "First floor classroom, talking to Peeves. Looks like patrols have stopped for now as well."

Lily didn't think she'd ever been more confused in her life, but when James looked at her expectantly, she stood her ground.

"Sorry," she said, "but I'm not going anywhere. I can't let you guys go out to...wherever it is you're going. You're stuck with me." She folded her arms across her chest stubbornly.

James opened his mouth to argue, but Sirius held up a hand. "Prongs, allow me." He turned to Lily. "Lily, I'm really sorry about this, but if you knew the whole story, you'd understand." For once, he looked completely genuine, his words almost earnest. And then he took hold of her shoulders and pushed her out from under the cloak. Lily realised what he was going to do and struggled, but it was too late. She was back in the corridor, and the boys had disappeared.

"Sirius?" she hissed. "James?"

"Sorry, Lily, I really wish I could explain." She's recognised James' voice, and whipped her head round wildly, but she couldn't locate where the sound had come from. She stood still for a few minutes, then realised they were gone and blew out a frustrated breath.

_"Men."_

She turned on her heel, heading in the direction of the Tower, when she stepped on something. Looking down, Lily saw a tattered piece of parchment under her foot. It seemed to be covered in ink spots, and on a whim she picked it up, assuming Sirius has dropped it when they fought. It was only when it got closer to her face that Lily gasped.

She saw now that it wasn't spare parchment. It was a map. A map of the entire Castle, showing every single person as a tiny, labelled black dot of ink. Her eyes flickered to the top of the page, where she read a title:

**The Marauder's Map**

Lily laughed quietly. Only the Marauders had the skill and the desire to create somthing like this. Looking more closely, she found the dot labelled "Lily Evans", and saw that her path to the Common Room really was clear. Then, her curiousity burning, her eyes frantically searched until she located the dots labelled "James Potter" and "Sirius Black". Peter Pettigrew was also with them - _he must have met them in the Entrance Hall_ - and Lily watched avidly as the three of them crossed the grounds until they reached the Whomping Willow, where, to her surprise and utter confusion, they disappeared from sight.

* * *

**Author's Note:** I'll try to keep it coming pretty steadily, but like I said earlier, I won't make any promises since I don't want to disappoint. I'd really love it if you left a review! :)


	11. Honesty In The Owlery

**Disclaimer: **I, sadly, own nothing. Except the idea, and really, that's all my brain...

**Author's Note: **My longest chapter yet! Happy reading!

* * *

_She couldn't wait until Alice got back._

That was the one consistent thing in Lily's life right now; the one thing she had to cling to inside the craziness that was her head.

For six long days, Lily's mind had been a cacophony of thoughts and feelings. James, the lake, James, the Map, James, Alice and Frank, James... She had so much to say, and unfortunately, nobody that she could say it to.

But finally, _thankfully_, she was going to be relieved of the permenant migraine. Alice was due back at Hogwarts the next day, and Lily could not _wait_ to see her. In honesty, a large part of her didn't really want to bother Alice with such trivial gossip when she was meant to be recovering, but even so...

Ever since the night in which she had discovered the existence of James' invisibility cloak, things had been...slightly awkward between them. Probably just a tad more than slightly. Lily was still overwhelmed by her new-found attraction to James 'Big Head' Potter, and he had been a bit more guarded around her recently. _Like that helped her sort out her feelings._

Lily would have been confused by that (_James Potter most definitely wasn't they shy-guy type_) but he made no attempt to disguise what he was keeping from her. In the days that had followed, Lily had questioned him several times about where he and the Marauders (_minus Remus, of course_) had disappeared to, but he always answered her with the same thing.

"I'm really sorry Lily, but I just can't tell you."

Sometimes his tone was sad, sometimes frustrated, but it always had a finality to it that almost made Lily wonder why she bothered. _Luckily, she didn't give in very easily...especially when it came to James Potter_. For one terrifying moment, she had tried a different tack and threatened to tell Remus his friends were sneaking off without him, but the anger that blazed in James' voice and eyes when he told her to "DROP IT. NOW." had decided her - _maybe not such a good idea._

So being told what was going on apparently wasn't an option.

She had also spent every night since poring over the Map (_which she'd "forgetten" to mention to the Marauders that she had_) so she could be ready to trail them if they went on any other late-night excursions, but they didn't really seem to get up to _anything._

In fact, she usually just ended up watching the blob labelled "James Potter" wander about his dormitory, or do his rounds about the Castle, or even just stand still...

_She definitely needed help._

Which is exactly why Lily found herself climbing the stairs to the Owlery. Even with less than 24 hours to go, she clutched in her hand a note for Alice, that pretty much read:

CAN'T WAIT UNTIL TOMORROW! SO MUCH TO TELL YOU! GLAD YOU'RE COMING BACK!

Granted, it wasn't her most articulate work, but at least it would help ease her mind, as well as whet Alice's ginormous appetite for all things gossipy. _Plus, maybe some time alone at the top of the Castle would help her clear her head..._

However, as Lily entered the Owlery, her long hair starting to whip in the gentle wind that came this high up, it became clear that she wasn't alone.

A dak-haired Slytherin boy stood in the far corner of the room, his back to her, only identifiable by his bottle green robes. He appeared to be tying some parchement to the foot of a grand-looking eagle owl, and , as far as Lily could tell, he was yet to notice her presence.

For some reason, Lily felt unease growing in her stomach. She didn't like the idea of being alone with a Slytherin so far from other sudents. _Especially when her wand was back in her dormitory. _She tried to back quietly out of the room, but the boy choose that precise second to turn around, and Lily couldn't contain her gasp.

His eyes locked on hers, and a familiar-looking smirk graced his features. _His resemblance to his brother was striking._

Lily was standing face-to-face with Regulus Black.

"I thought there was a bad smell in here," he drawled, snapping Lily out of her thoughts. _The similarities between the two obviously ended at looks._ Lily had never seen such a disdainful, disgusted look on Sirius' face. She felt anger rising at his comment, and matched her tone to his.

"Don't worry, I'm sure it's just the owl droppings - you couldn't possibly smell _that_ bad," she quipped, her eyes narrowing.

She didn't really want a confrontation with Sirius' younger brother, but his attitude got to her, and it seemed unavoidable as he took a step closer.

"Say that again, you little..." He trailed off, seething. There was only about a foot between them now, but Lily stood her ground.

"Get lost Black," she said, her tone calm, refusing to betray the fear she felt building inside her.

A fear that doubled when, instead of heeding her advice, he drew his wand and spat on the floor at her feet. Lily took a step backwards.

"How dare you speak the noble Black name, you dirty-blooded bitch?" He raised his wand, and Lily took another step backwards, her back meeting the wall. Her eyes squeezed shut as she prepared herself for his curse. _If only she'd learned patience as a child, she never would have been here..._

"Hate to disappoint you, Regulus, but it's my name too, and she can say it all she likes." Lily opened her eyes just in time to see Sirius stroll into the room, his face casual, but with a steely glint in his eyes. He nodded once at Lily, and she gave him a quick glimmer of a smile, before his eyes locked on those of his brother.

"Hasn't Mummy taught you yet that it's rude to pull wands on friends of the family?" he questioned, as he casually slid himself into the gap between Lily and Regulus' upraised wand.

His brother merely scoffed, and then said, "You disappoint our family."

"Really?" Sirius said with false cheer, "Who knew I'd achieve my goals so young?"

Regulus gave him a murderous look, and then the disdain slid back onto his face. "I can't believe you're friends with this filth," he sneered at his brother, jerking his chin in the direction of where Lily was standing, watching the scene before her unfold.

"Oh yeah?" repiled Sirius, his voice a few degrees cooler. "Well, _I_ can't believe that I'm stuck being related to filth like _you_, but hey. Those are the breaks in life."

He never once raised his voice, still lacing it with that false cheer, but there was an icy-steel in his tone that caused a shiver to run up Lily's spine. She could feel the tension mounting in the air between the two brothers - it weighed on them from all sides, and she tensed, waiting for the storm to break.

"Blood traitor," Regulus hissed. His watery-blue eyes once more fell on Lily as he hissed again.

"Mudblood!"

And the storm broke.

He was suddenly against the wall, one of Sirius' hands fisted in his robes, the other pointing Regulus' own wand directly at his exposed throat.

"You watch your tongue, little brother." Sirius spat the last two words out, no longer making any attempt to disguise the loathing in his voice or eyes. "Or you might just find yourself waking up tomorrow without one, got it?"

He thrust Regulus away from him then, towards the doorway. Regulus glared at him for a moment, then seemed to think better of it, and with a final lip-curling sneer at Lily, he disappeared down the stairs.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," replied Sirius shortly, still gazing after his brother, and Lily, sensing his continuing ire, dropped the subject. "Are you?" he questioned, and Lily nodded.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thank you," she added, "for, you know, coming to my rescue." She then snorted at how pathetic she sounded, and Sirius grinned at her, his demeanour relaxing.

"Not a problem, Evans. Any friend of Prongs is most definitely a friend of mine - _he's_ my real family. God, what he would've done to dear little Reg if he'd been here..."

Sirius' grin grew wider, and Lily felt her face colour lightly at the mention of James. _How she wished that was true, that James would have furious, that he cared for her that much...She could still feel his finger, pressed lightly against her mouth..._ Her blush deepened as she thought, a thing that didn't escape Sirius' notice.

He quirked an eyebrow, smirking at her, and Lily hurriedly changed the subject, sensing a barrage of questions approaching that she simply couldn't answer.

"So...you Marauders seem to have a bit of a thing for pinning people against walls, huh?" she joked, in what she thought was a weak attempt at both humour, and distraction.

It seemed to work, though, and Sirius let out a loud bark of laughter.

"Apparently so, Evans, although all of said incidents do seem to involve defending you..." He gave her a pointed look, and Lily ducked her head, knowing exactly what he was implying. _James... _Sirius chuckled again, and carried on innocently, "We're going to have to start keeping tabs on you..." He grinned.

"Ah, well that could be a bit of a challenge now you don't have your magic Map anymore," she teased, and then mentally kicked herself, realising what she had done. Sirius' eyes widened.

"_You've _got the map." It was a statement, not a question, and Lily visibly cringed, expecting an outburst. _How stupid was she?_

Instead of yelling at her, though, Sirius wooped, smacking his thigh and exclaiming gleefully, "I _told _Prongs I didn't bloody lose it! Accusing prat..."

"Well, actually, you..." Lily started, but seeing his eyes narrow and brows raise, hastily muttered, "Never mind."

_He had just saved her butt, after all. _

"So, Evans," he started, finally seeming to grasp the situation, and Lily reluctantly met his eyes. "D'you mind if I ask when you were planning to _return _the Map? I mean, since you seem so clear on who the owners are, and everything..." His tone was overly-casual, and there was a wicked glint in his eyes.

"Well, I...I mean, I just wanted to...Umm, now?" she finished lamely, drawing the worn piece of parchment out of her robes and holding it out to him.

Sirius eyed her specutively for a moment, a plan forming in his mind as he took the Map out of her hand with a nod of thanks. Then, his eyes searching hers, he said cheekily:

"So, been spending the past few nights watching Prongs' ink-blob with starry eyes, eh Evans?"

Try as she might to fight it, Lily once again felt a blush colour her cheeks. _Really_ regretting her slip-up now, she could only drop her gaze to the floor as she let out a long and embarrassed "Ummmmmm..."

Suddenly, Sirius' hands were on her shoulders, and her head snapped up, as his gaze penetrated her.

"Look, Lily....do you trust me?"

_Lily sensed where this was going, but after everything that had just happened, what other answer could she give him? _She spoke.

"Yes."

"Then answer me honestly." He paused, as if giving her a moment to prepare for the question she knew he was going to ask, and then said, " Do you like James?"

Lily searched his face, her eyes guarded - _could she really trust him not to tell? James was his best friend, after all. And yet he'd given her no reason to doubt him, and only 5 minutes ago he'd said she was his friend too. And then there was that part of her that felt like it would break if she didn't tell someone soon..._

Lily made her decision.

She took a deep breath, looked straight into his blue eyes, and said the word her heart had been yearning to say for what seemed like an eternity.

"Yes."

She liked the way it sounded when she said it out loud, and did it once more.

"Yes, I like James."

Sirius smiled a small smile of genuine happiness, his handsome face illuminated, and Lily felt herself return it, just for a moment. Then Sirius spoke almost urgently, his hands tightening on her shoulders, his eyes full of encouragement.

"Then for Merlin's sake, _tell him._" He smiled again, this time more like the cheeky, knowing Sirius she was used to. "Trust me. You won't be disappointed."

He released her then, and turned towards the stairs.

He was half-way down them before Lily had gathered her thoughts enough to turn and lean over the banister, and call out his name.

"Thanks," she said simply when he turned to look back at her, and he grinned.

"No problem, Evans. Like I said, any _friend _of Prongs is a friend of mine." He winked cheekily at her, and then disappeared from view.

Lily straightened back up, her mind a whirl. _So much for clearing her head._ The idea of telling James scared her, but at the same time, it felt so right. And _that_ scared her even more.

_There was only one thing for it._

Ignoring the straw and dirt and Merlin-knows-what-else, Lily sank to the floor, pulling out spare parchement and a quill as she did so. She then set about penning a _new_ letter to Alice; one with all the gossip in it that just couldn't wait until tomorrow.

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**A/N: **Okay, so I know that this was shockingly lacking in L/J, but I just felt I had to make her and Sirius closer - I've always pictured them as becoming really good friends, and I didn't feel it was translating in my fic. That said, given the way this chapter ended, you can definitely expect L/J in the next one. Along with much more - will Sirius tell James what he knows? And how will Alice react to everything she's missed? DUN-DUN-DUN! :P

Please review!


	12. Gossip and Guessing

**Disclaimer:** JK Rowling owns everything.

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"I CANNOT BELIEVE THIS!!"

Alice bounced up and down on her four-poster, clapping her hands like a little kid at Christmas. Lily sighed and pushed her friend backwards till her head touched the pillow.

"Alice, for the hundredth time, would you _please_ calm down? You're supposed to be resting, for Merlin's sake!" Lily's tone was disapproving, but she couldn't wipe away the smile that had appeared when her best friend had finally arrived back at Hogwarts, earlier that day.

Alice ignored her, sitting back up hurriedly, her short black curls bouncing around her eager face.

"Resting, schmesting!" she scoffed, and Lily gave a reluctant giggle. _Merlin, she'd missed Alice. _"Here's the deal, Evans," she went on excitedly, "you sent me a meagre amount of gossip yesterday, ending with the fact that you like James Potter - previously arch nemesis, stalker, and personal-pain-in-the-neck - and now? I. Want. Details!"

Her eyes were bright, her tone burning with curiosity, and Lily rolled her eyes.

_Only her best friend could find four feet of parchement a meagre amount._

"Fine, fine," she surrendered half-heartedly, secretly aching to tell her story again. "So, it was like I said, I went up to the Owlery-"

"No, not that, you idiot!" Alice slapped her playfully on the arm, smiling. "You told me everything that happened _already_...what I'm interested in is what's going to happen _next!"_

_Oh._

Lily crossed her legs and looked down, letting her long red hair form a curtain between her and Alice's inquisitive gaze.

"Oh, that," she said, feeling her face start to burn. "Well, nothing. I don't know, I haven't really thought about it..."

"Lils, are you..._blushing_?" She reached forward to sweep Lily's hair out of the way, and her eyes twinkled. "You _are_!" she said, half-shocked, half-amused. "You never blush," she went on, "_especially_ not when it comes to James Potter."

"I know!" cried Lily exasperatedly, seizing a pillow and hugging it to her chest. "That's my point Ali - I don't have a clue what's happening to me recently!" She sighed deeply, and Alice put an arm around her shoulder, her voice soft, but suddenly serious.

"I think it's called developing a crush, Lily." She smiled at her friend encouragingly. "You know, James has changed a lot this year - he's no longer the arrogant arse he used to be." This got a weak smile from the red-head, and Alice laughed. "I never thought I'd say this but...I'm with Sirius on this one. Just tell him." She pulled her arm away then, and looked straight into her friend's eyes. "One thing I've never doubted? James Potter is head-over-heels for you, Lils."

Lily smiled more widely then, relishing that thought. But her happiness didn't last long as doubt plagued her. "What if he's not?" she questioned, dropping her eyes once more.

"I can't risk telling him and not having him feel the same..." Her fears were genuine, but Alice rolled her eyes emphatically, as though she had never heard anything so ridiculous in her life.

"_Not _likely, Lily, trust me." She shook her head disbelievingly, and then went on. "Besides, you have to tell him, or else you know Black's just going to do it anway. Promise or no promise, they _are_ best friends." Lily froze at her words, but Alice didn't notice.

"That reminds me," she continued, "what's with you telling _him_ before _me _anyway? Merlin, one lousy Death-Eater attack and a girl finds herself replaced as best friend..." Her tone was light and teasing, and she gently pushed Lily, who laughed distractedly.

"Like that would ever happen," she said, pulling her friend into a quick hug. But inside, her head was a whirl. _Could Alice be right? Sirius wouldn't tell James - would he?_

* * *

"I CANNOT BELIEVE THIS!"

James stood by his four-poster, having just stopped pacing agitatedly, as the Marauders watched in amusement.

"Merlin, James, would you please calm down? You're over-reacting mate," came Sirius' voice from where he lounged on his bed, completely at ease, his long dark hair falling gracefully in front of one eye.

"_Over-reacting_? Padfoot, how the hell could you not tell me this sooner? I should find that sorry..." James trailed off and sank onto his matress, running a hand distractedly through his messy black hair.

"Like I said, I had a date McKinnon! Priorities, mate." He gave a satisfiied smirk to himself, and then went on, "Besides, I didn't think it was such a _bloody _big deal!" James scoffed, and Sirius turned towards Remus, muttering, "_Clearly_, I was wrong."

The sandy-haired boy laughed, but James evidently didn't appreciate the humour. He glared at his friends, and Sirius sighed.

"Look Prongs, I'm always the first to admit that my family's scum, so clearly, you knew that already." James smiled at him in a sympathetic way, but concern still marred his features. Sirius sat up then, swung his legs off the bed, and leaned towards James, his voice low.

"But like I told you, Lily's fine." James looked straight into his friends eyes for a few moments, and then nodded, visibly relaxing. _He could trust Padfoot with his life, he knew that - and that meant he could trust him with Lily, too._

"Let's just call it lucky that I went up there to get the Map back off her - _which_ she had, by the way," he finished triumphantly, lifting it from his bedside cabinet and thrusting it at James, who grinned at him. Sirius couldn't resist, and added, "Told you so."

"Shut up," said James good-naturedly, punching his friend in the arm, to which Sirius immediately responded. The two were just getting into a good wrestling match when Remus interrupted them, his voice grave.

"I wouldn't be so sure it was luck if I were you, Pads," he said, and both boys looked up, James face creasing with worry once more.

"I mean, seriously," he went on, "it's not exactly_ luck _that James knew exactly where Lily was even without the Map, is it?" His lips curled into a smirk, and Sirius let out a howl of laughter.

"I saw her heading towards the Owlery five minutes ago - she must be mailing Alice again," Peter chipped in, in a poor imitation of James' deep voice, and the laughter increased. James stood up, his face reddening.

"Alright, alright, you've made your point," he told his friends shortly, and then turned to Sirius, looking for a subject change. "So...did Lily say what she's been doing with it for the past week? The Map, I mean," he added when his friend looked at him blankly, still chuckling.

Sirius cleared his throat and stopped laughing. He looked up at James for a minute - _if only he knew what she'd been doing... _- before replying.

"Nah, didn't ask," he lied smoothly, standing up as well. But James knew him too well, and raised his eyebrows skeptically.

"_You_ didn't ask? Since when did you stop being such a nosy bugger?"

Sirius stood for a moment, trying to think of an answer that James wouldn't see right through, when there was a knock at the dormitory door. All the Marauders looked towards it in confusion, and Sirius seized his chance for distraction.

"Get the door Prongsy-wongsy, there's a good lad." He grinned, and James laughed, giving his best friend another playful push that sent him backwards onto his four-poster, before turning and walking towards the continuing knock.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," he muttered to himself, seizing the door handle and pulling it inwards to reveal...

"Lily," he said in surprise.

She smiled at him nervously, and he quickly returned it. "Emmmm..you're at the door." _Smooth James, real smooth._

"Ever the genius," she said, her face dead-pan, and all the boys laughed, James included. Then she looked up at James and smiled again. "Can I talk to you? Alone?" she added, glancing pointedly into the room where the Marauders were watching the discussion avidly.

"Sure," James responded instantly, taking a few steps out into the corridor. "Let's go for a walk."

Lily nodded her consent, and just had time to see Sirius grin encouragingly at her before James swung the door shut.

_* * *_

_Oh god. _

Lily and James walked along in silence, an awkwardness hanging in the air between them. Lily had decided to take Alice's advice and tell James about her feelings before Sirius did, but now that she was there, she didn't know if she could. _Besides, he wasn't acting as if Sirius had told him..._

James too felt a little weird. He and Lily had left the Gryffindor Tower at least five minutes ago, and she hadn't spoken or even looked at him since. He was also finding it hard to concentrate: as they walked side-by-side down the corridor, Lily's arm kept brushing tantalizingly against his, and he cleared his throat, resisting the urge to reach out and grab her delicate little hand in his.

Lily looked up at the noise, and her eyes met his warm hazel ones. Tingles of electricity shot through her body as he smiled an easy smile, his eyes lighting up along with his face. _Did he feel that too?_

"So, Lily...you wanted to talk to me?" he questioned, unable to take the suspense anymore.

"Yes," she muttered, and then spoke more clearly, mentally shaking herself. "Yes I did."

"What's wrong?" he asked her, gentle concern gracing his handsome features, and Lily clenched her fingers at her sides, fighting the longing to reach up and touch him.

"Nothing's wrong, exactly," she assured him, and his face relaxed once more into that gorgeous grin. "I just...I wanted to ask you something."

"Oh." He waited, watching conflict waring on her face, and then leaned towards her, unable to resist. His hand found her shoulder, and he chuckled gently, "Go ahead."

"I...uh...OK," babbled Lily, his touch confusing her. "Answer me honestly, though, alright?"

James met her eyes, which were full of..._what? _He felt suddenly wary of where this was going.

"Look, Lily if this is about what happened at the full moon, I already told you..."

"No, no it's not abou-" Abruptly, she stopped talking, and looked at James again. "Wait, _what _did you say?"

James raised an eyebrow, looking puzzled, before repeating himself.

"I said, if it's about the other night, when I left..." He trailed off, realising Lily wasn't listening. She looked lost in thought, at least a galaxy away.

"Hello?" he laughed, waving a hand in front of her face. "Earth to Lily!"

Lily snapped back into the conversation. "Sorry," she muttered, "I was a million miles away..."

"I noticed," replied James slowly, confused by her sudden change in attitude - _was it something he said? _"So anyway, you were about to ask me..." He prompted her, waiting.

"Oh, right. Well, I was wondering..." She looked up at James' face, and this time James was the one that got the feeling she was trying to see into his soul. He shifted uncomfortably, and Lily finished her sentence.

"Do you think you could sneak me into the Restricted Section tonight?"

James, blinked for a second, startled - _that definitely wasn't what he thought she was going to say _- before replying, "Uhhh...sure I could."

They stood in silence for a few moments, and then James broke it.

"I dunno though...are you sure it's something that a Head Girl and Boy should be doing though?" he teased, recovering himself, and Lily shrugged nochalantly.

"Well, what Dumbledore doesn't know..."

James laughed, but then her eyes were on his, serious again.

"Besides, I really need to check something."

"Well OK," he replied, smiling at her in an I'll-do-anything-I-can-to-help sort of way. "Meet me at the Portrait hole at about 11?"

Lily smiled at him distractedly, nodding her agreement and thanks, and James gave her a conspiratory wink. She smiled again then, more widely, unable to help herself, and he grinned down at her.

"I've got just the things for the job."

* * *

**A/N: **OK, so again not sure if it's my best work, but I wanted to get this chapter up (once more mainly filler - I just needed to advance the plot) so that I could get on to the next one. It's called **Restricted Section Romance**, so I'm sure you all know what that means! ;) Hopefully the end of that chapter was a nice little taster of what's to come. Please review! :)


	13. Restricted Section Romance

**Disclaimer:** Same as always, guys. I do the situations, but J.K is responsible for everything else.

**Author's Note:** OK, here it is. The big one. I must apologise again for the wait - school has been crazy lately, and I just really wanted to get this scene perfect, since we've been building up to it for so long. The last thing I want to do is disappoint you guys (especially since you've stuck with my story regardless of the shockingly crappy and irregular updating). To be honest, I'm still not sure it's very good, but I feel like we're all here to improve, and maybe with some suggestions from you guys I can come back and make it better at a later date. In the mean time, I hope it suffices. The tension, the tension.

Happy Reading! :)

* * *

"OK Lily, are you ready to do this?"

James waved his hand in front of Lily's face one more, shaking her out of whatever dream she'd been having. He looked at her with masked confusion, wondering what had gotten into her.

Ever since their conversation earlier that day, she had seemed distant and deep in thought every time he happened to glance her way. Of course, as Sirius took great pleasure in pointing out, he did that far more than a regular person, but still. He couldn't help it - concern for Lily was second nature to him, and looking down at the petite redhead as she nodded distractedly, he couldn't help but feel worried.

"Let's go." She spoke softly but firmly, seemingly back in the present, so James nodded, and slipped the cloak over both of them while pulling out the Map.

"Next stop, Restricted Section," he joked, grinning, and Lily smiled briefly, before lowering her eyes to the ground.

They started slowly forward and left the Gryffindor Tower, slipping noiselessly down the marble staircase and turning right. James glanced at the Map at regular intervals, though he glanced at Lily even more. She kept her eyes firmly on the ground, but James could have sworn he saw a light flush colour her cheeks as they kept walking. His arm was once again brushing hers gently, making every nerve ending in his body feel like a live wire. He wanted her to look at him, to give him a sign about what he should do, what she wanted him to do, but she never once looked up.

He tried not to groan in frustration as her fingers grazed his, and the sweet smell of her hair enveloped him.

_If only he could tell what she was thinking._

* * *

Lily's mind was a whirl. She tried to ignore James proximity by keeping her eyes trained on the stone flagstones beneath her feet, but it was impossible. She could practically feel the electricity radiating between their bodies as they walked, making her heart flutter erractically and her cheeks flush. The sound of his breathing dominated her mind in the quiet - strong and steady, just like him.

She glanced sideways when she was sure he wasn't looking to see his well-defined forearm in her peripheral vision, his fingers practically touching her own, and she bit her lip in frustration.

_How the hell could she have been so blind and stupid all these years? _

That thought brought her back to the other distraction she had right now, the reason she had for putting herself through the slow, tantalising torture that was a midnight trip with James, and Lily supressed the urge to slap herself.

_"Look, Lily if this is about what happened at the full moon, I already told you..."_

His words still resounded in her head, and Lily shook herself softly, annoyed at her own stupidity. _Was it really possible...? Could she really have gone all this time without realising? And then, what about James? Did he...?_

Lily shook herself again, trying to focus on the here-and-now as she noticed James looking at her curiously. The main question would be answered tonight, and the rest, she supposed, could wait.

"So..." she broke the awkward silence, knowing that he would have warned her if there were any teachers about. "Uhhh..how are you?"

She looked up at him for the first time, and instantly regretted it. Just peeking into those deep hazel orbs made her feel like she was slowly melting.

James paused for a second, drinking in her beautiful face like he did every time she looked at him, before answering.

"I'm...fine." He smiled at her believably, but the hand furthest from her simultaneously clenched into a fist. _Let's see: he was just a few inches away from the girl that had been the love of his life for the past four years, sneaking around a deserted corridor with her, and yet completely unable to act on his feelings. Yeah, he was definitely fine. Merlin!_

"You?" His eyes met hers once more, and Lily had to work to keep her body from shaking, her voice from trembling at the intensity of his gaze.

"Yeah...great." She cleared her throat, and averted her eyes. _I mean, I think I'm completely in love with you, and I'm pretty sure that you don't feel the same any more - not that I blame you - but other than that? Perfect._

She wanted so badly to say the words out loud, to show him exactly how she felt about him after all these years of fighting it, but she just...couldn't. Instead, she sighed.

At that sound, James reacted instinctively. His hand grasped the top of her arm softly, sending a current sparking through his body as he pulled the redhead gently to a halt.

Lily's breath hitched as he touched her, and her heart-rate increased dramatically. Emerald met hazel, and she felt her cheeks tinge.

"You sure?"

Such simple words, and yet they were like a life-line to Lily. His voice was full of the concern and consideration he had always shown her, despite the numerous insults and rejections she had harshly thrown his way. _Maybe, just maybe..._

"Yes," she assured him softly. "It's just..."

She trailed off, never moving her eyes from his, and the atmosphere shifted. The air grew thick with tension, and Lily took a small step towards his broad chest.

James' eyes widened slightly, and his head inclined almost unconsciously towards hers as her eyelids fluttered closed...

"WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

The high-pitched squeal burst the bubble, and Lily jumped backwards as Peeves came zooming down the corridor, knocking over suits of armour as he went. It took less than a few seconds for him to disappear around the corner, but the moment was gone.

James straightened up and cleared his throat as Lily flushed.

"Well, here we are, Evans." Lily turned to see they were standing in the entrance to the Library. _She hadn't even realised. _She swallowed and threw a quick glance at James, holding his gaze for as little time as possible as she communicated her thanks and ducked out from the cloak. She walked quickly to the door, drawing her wand and muttering 'alohamora' as she did so, before slipping inside.

James hesitated, resting his head against the cold stone wall for a minute, trying to gather his thoughts. _What the hell? Had he really been about to kiss Lily? What was he thinking?? I mean, she was clearly just caught up in the moment...he was lucky she hadn't whacked him one._

Even with that clear in his mind though, James couldn't help but feel severely disappointed, so he turned back to face the corridor, and spoke aloud.

"Peeves, I swear to God, you better hope I never find you."

With that, he slid off the cloak and followed Lily inside.

* * *

Inside the Library, it was pitch black, but Lily had spent enough time there over her years at Hogwarts to know her way around. She walked swiftly towards the Restricted section, her heart pounding. _Whether that was because of James or what she was about to find out, she didn't know. _She heard a door shut as she ducked under the velvet rope that sectioned the books off from the rest of the Library, and realised with a pang that James was following her.

* * *

"Lily?" James murmered quietly, as he glanced around in the darkness. He couldn't see a thing.

Drawing his wand from his pocket, he muttered 'lumos', and cast the light that burst from his wand around, searching for the redhead.

"Lily?" he whispered again, starting forward.

* * *

Lily ran softly among the shelves, praying James would take a while to find her. _She didn't want him to know what she was doing here. _She lit her own wand tip, keeping it low to stop it from being seen, and moved her finger along the dusty tomes, looking for the right one.

Hearing his footsteps approaching, she ducked around a corner, and raced as quietly as possible deeper into the darkness.

* * *

"Lily?" he repeated again, slightly louder, as he stepped over the barrier into the Restricted Section. He wasn't really familiar with this area of the school - _he and Sirius never really had any reason to study, after all_ - so had absolutely no idea where to start. _Where in Merlin's name was she? Why wasn't she answering him? And, more importantly, what the hell were they doing here?_

* * *

Lily threw another quick glance behind her as she reached the very back wall, a towering case of books containing the darkest of magic. She knew it wouldn't be long until James found her, and she could hear her blood pounding in her ears are she hurriedly scanned the titles, looking for the right one. _Where to look?_

* * *

_The Map!_

James smacked his own forehead softly, and thrust his hand into his robe pocket, searching among the silvery folds of the cloak for his precious piece of parchement. _He'd find Lily in no time._

* * *

_Aha!_

Lily finger landed on a thick tome entitled _Plurimus Mortifer Bestia_, and she hurriedly pulled it from the shelf. Her fingers scrambled with the pages as she skipped to the 'Werewolf' section, and came face-to-face with what she had been looking for: a lunar chart. Her eyes scanned the page, landing on each full moon. _Could it possibly be...?_

* * *

_Aha!_

James' fingers closed around the torn parchement as he pulled. The Map came free, and he was just about to turn his wand light on it when it landed instead on Lily, who rounded the corner in a hurry. Her expression was one of complete and utter disbelief, but she stopped when she saw James, and smiled tentatively.

"There you are." James smiled back. "Is everything OK? Did you find out what you needed to?"

Her eyes were guarded for a moment, and then she spoke, sounding slightly dazed. "I...Yes."

"Good." James smiled again, and then went on. "Well in that case, let's get out of here. Even I'll admit I was getting a bit freaked out there." He chuckled softly, and made to leave, but stopped when he saw Lily wasn't moving.

Her face was serious, her eyes penetrating, and James stepped closer to her as she abruptly opened her mouth and spoke.

"James, you're never going to tell me where you went that night by the lake, are you?" She didn't sound mad, but there was a demand in her voice - she wanted him to answer her, once and for all.

James fixed his eyes on hers, and just looked at her for a moment, before raising his shoulders and shaking his head gently.

"No."

"Why not? Lily pressed, still watching him. _She didn't sound mad, but there was definitely something different about her, James was sure of it._ "Don't you trust me?" she went on, her tone full of innocence.

"I'd trust you with anything." James didn't hesitate, and his voice was sincere. He took another step forward, closing the distance between them as he continued to speak. "I would Lily. You know that. It's just..." He paused about a foot away from her, and shrugged.

"It's not my secret to tell." He gave her an apologetic look, but was surprised to find her smiling at him when he finally found the courage to look at her face.

Lily dithered for a moment, openeing and closing her mouth a few times as she searched for the right words. James smirked softly, and she grinned, shrugging helplessly.

"You're a good friend." She stepped forward now, drawing closer to him as James watched, trying to figure out her mood. All of his thought processes stopped, however, when she moved again and reached forward, taking one of his hands in both of hers and playing gently with his fingers.

"I completely misjudged you James Potter, do you know that?" she went on, murmuring softly now, almost to herself. Then she looked up once more, and their eyes locked. The air froze, just like it had earlier in the night, and Lily spoke.

"Completely."

And then suddenly, amazingly, she stretched upwards on her toes, and pressed her lips firmly against his.

James froze for a second, but quickly regained himself as Lily's hands slid gently into his hair. He kissed her back softly, sweetly, lacing his arms around her waist and drawing her small body infinitesimally closer to his own.

Lily smiled against his mouth as her hands got lost in his thick locks, and she made a soft noise of contentment.

_This was amazing. _

They stayed that way for what seemed like forever, and then Lily slowly moved back, smiling at James as he grinned.

"Well...that, I was not expecting." He kept grinning, and Lily giggled nervously.

"Ummm...to be honest, me either." She smiled up at him, feeling suddenly shy, and bit her lip.

James had had time to regain some of his usual bravado, however, and leaned towards her, his head cocked to one side.

"So this means...?"

"This means, Potter, that both you and Miss Evans will be lucky not to get expelled."

The couple flinched as Filch's voice came gleefully from the shadows, and then he rounded the corner, a latern in his hand.

"The Head students caught out of bed at night, sneaking around in the Restricted Section." He smirked triumphantly, as Mrs Norris purred about his feet. "What will the Headmaster say?"

Lily and James exchanged a glance as they turned to face their fate.

_Neither one really wanted to find out._

* * *

**A/N: **Reviews desperately required! Was it a complete let-down? (I really hope not!) Was it OK? PLEASE let me know!! :) Reviews are love!


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